Perfect Blue
by xxxChaoticHarmonyxxx
Summary: All it took was one brief meeting and a perfect pair of oceanic blue eyes for her entire world to shift.
1. Chapter 1

Her hands shook as she read the last lines of the note, tears welling up behind her expressive hazel/gold eyes.

_I love you more than you know._

_But we can't continue to go on this way. Please don't hate me for this._

She quickly tied her long black hair into a messy bun sitting on top of her head and dashed out of the bedroom, snatching the keys to her apartment as she bolted out the door.

The soft, dull light of street lamps lit her way as she sprinted to the train station, dodging and weaving her way through the evening crowd of people just getting off work dispersed from their respective office buildings. She begged her feet to not fail her as she ran to her destination, hoping that she wouldn't be too late to stop him from leaving.

She skidded to a stop when she reached a cross-walk and cursed loudly when she had to wait for the cars to pass and the light to change. She clung to the beam, waiting anxiously and praying that the traffic would cease so that she could continue. Every second wasted was a second she could be spending trying to catch up to him.

Once the light at the crosswalk turned green she took off again, bumping into several pedestrians moving the opposite way down the street. She apologized but didn't allow this to slow her down.

Her eyes widened and hope swelled within her when the train station was in sight. She ran up the stairs two at a time, clutching the letter in a free hand and hopping over the turnstiles thankful that she didn't trip in the process. However when she was there at the platform where the passengers were stepping onto the trains she had to search through an abnormally thick crowd of people getting off the trains and heading home for the evening.

She searched frantically, thankful for her above average height that allowed her to see over the heads of many of the men and women in the area. After spending what felt like a lifetime searching, she finally spotted a young man around her age who fit the description of the man she was looking for.

She called out his name, screaming at the top of her lungs – calling attention to herself in the process, earning several bizarre stares from a fair amount of people – hoping that he would hear her. However to her horror, he was heading for one of the trains with a duffel bag in hand.

With a new sense of fear, she pushed her way through and tried to reach the train he was boarding, praying that she would reach him in time.

He stepped onto the platform just as the doors began to close and she skidded to a stop. While standing there, she felt herself becoming dizzy and watched as the train quickly pulled out of the station. Then just as quickly, the train had pulled off and him along with it.

Everything seemed to stop for her in that moment when she realized that he was gone and – most likely – never coming back. Her body began to tremble then, shaking her from the inside out and her heart began to ache with a pain she'd never known before. Without realizing it tears began to steadily flow from her eyes, smearing her once immaculate makeup and dripping onto both the floor and her shoes. Lips trembling, she clutched the letter he left and her head sank in defeat.

'How could you throw me away like that?'

* * *

A girl with shoulder length, flaxen hair and crystal-like blue eyes patted the shoulder of her co-worker during their break.

"Jasmine, perhaps you should go home," she insisted, concerned for the well-being of her friend. "Tifa would completely understand."

Jasmine, the girl with long black hair tied into a neat French-braid trailing down her back with bangs partially covering her hazel colored eyes and tan skin, continued to tally up the profits at the register. "No, I'm fine Naminé. I can stay."

The girl named Naminé knew better. Her friend was definitely NOT okay. "Olette isn't working today and she's always up for covering peoples' shifts. The café is going to be here when you get back…" Naminé glanced around the cozy café the pair worked at. It wasn't very busy today (which was normal given the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon) and in her honest opinion it wouldn't kill Jasmine to go home and get some rest. "It'll give you some time to relax."

Jasmine hummed as she finished imputing the sales for the hour, ignoring her friend.

Naminé looked around quickly for the other employees and leaned close to Jasmine as to not be overheard. "You just went through a really bad break up…" Jasmine froze on the spot with her finger right above the "enter" button on the touch screen computer. "You need some time to sort through your thoughts. You're not yourself lately."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jasmine said dismissively, trying to block out all thoughts of her ex.

Just then a woman shorter than Jasmine with long, dark hair tied into a low-hanging ponytail, wine-colored eyes and clear, flawless pale skin walked by with an electronic tablet in her hands. "She's right Jasmine," the older woman agreed. "You seem kind of down lately."

The ebony-haired waitress tried to stop herself from rolling her eyes in front of her boss. "I'll be fine Tifa. It's just one bad breakup. People go through worse," she then continued to input the numbers for the hour at a rapid pace and adjusted the glasses hanging on her nose.

Tifa set the tablet down and disappeared to the kitchen. Naminé and Jasmine overheard some of the kitchen staff chatting with Tifa and a few minutes later she reappeared with a red tote bag with the Seventh Heaven logo on the front. Jasmine and Naminé stepped back as Tifa set the large and (apparently) heavy bag down on the countertop.

"Alright," Tifa began taking out small, individual boxes and set them out for the pair to see. "You have your favorite grilled chicken salad here, chicken and shrimp pasta with LIGHT alfredo sauce, two piece of chocolate peanut butter cheesecake and a slice of my special, secret lemon cake." Tifa leaned against the counter and pointed out every item in the spread. "Perfect for a night in after you've had a breakup in my honest opinion."

Jasmine's mouth began to water at the mention of the food. Tifa was an amazing chef and even though she was the owner of the Seventh Heaven café, she still pitched in with the cooks to help prepare the food. Some people were just born with natural gifts and Tifa's (aside from her obvious beauty and kindness) was gifted with the ability to cook with the best chefs anywhere in the world.

"Uh," Jasmine had to keep herself from salivating as Tifa put the many containers back in the tote, "are you sure you don't need me?"

Tifa held out the tote along with Jasmine's sweater. "Go home, sweetheart. You work too hard. Take the night off and take care of yourself."

With a heavy sigh of defeat, Jasmine took off her red apron and slipped it under the register. She kicked off her black pumps and slipped them into her messenger bag, replacing them with a pair of flip flops. Once Jasmine slipped her arms into her zip up jacket, Naminé handed her purse over while Tifa gave Jasmine the tote bag.

"I'll see you back at the apartment," Naminé said with a kind, warm smile.

Jasmine nodded, reaching for her cell phone and earphones. She'd need them for the train ride back to their shared apartment near the university campus. Music was the only way Jasmine was able to survive the train trip to and from her job.

Tifa pulled Jasmine forward and into one of her tight, motherly embraces. "Take care, sweetie. Call me if you need anything. Okay? Tell me if the food was undercooked or overcooked," she released the girl.

While Jasmine wasn't feeling up to it, she put up her best smile for Tifa and Naminé. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the food. See you on Tuesday!"

"See you at home!" Naminé called, waving to Jasmine as she left through the doors.

* * *

For Jasmine, especially in the past two weeks since that night, the train ride back to her apartment had been extremely painful. She used to enjoy heading to the station on the north side of the Destiny Islands and traveling to the heart of the city. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. As the train sped along the tracks, she got a perfect view of the almost impossibly clear blue ocean and the tropical island plants that surrounded the beaches. It was once a time when Jasmine could clear her head from all thoughts about university, family, work, internships, and her future in general. Now the ride was just a cruel reminder of how her boyfriend just left her without any real reason or warning.

Jasmine stood near the doors and hung onto the rail. There were plenty of seats available for her to sit, however she wanted a clear view of the ocean. Also, she wanted to avoid eye contact with other travelers. Even though she was a strong person, in the past couple of weeks she always worried if she was going to break into tears and to avoid the potential awkwardness, she isolated herself from the rest of the train's passengers.

Deciding to avoid any potential love songs, Jasmine set her cell phone up to play only classical music and songs from various anime soundtracks. It was safer. Knowing her luck, she would probably get a constant stream of sad love songs and that would not do anything to improve her mood.

Jasmine sighed heavily. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was high in the sky, there were lots of people out and about on the freeways, most likely heading to the beaches, and the ocean was calm. Even the sun seemed to blare through the windows, it's light bouncing off her naturally tanned skin. Still, she couldn't help herself as her mind continued to wander back to the note _he _left her.

_It was never you. It was always me._

_There's just so much going on that I never told you and to be honest…I probably can never fully explain myself. That's why I've been holding back on the relationship…from the very beginning. _

_I just need to focus on myself and I'm no good to anyone. _

Jasmine's heart pained her when she remembered the next line.

_I don't know. I guess I'm not through with my ex after all. I can't let her go. _

She had to choke back a potential sob for that one and leaned her head against the steel rail, her bangs falling right in her eyes.

_I don't want you to hate me. I just want you to understand…._

Jasmine went over the note dozens of times in her head and by the time she was sure she'd recited it mentally for the hundredth time, she was at her current stop near the university.

Just as she picked up the tote bag Tifa had given her, Jasmine dropped her phone to the ground near the platform as she got off. Cursing under her breath, she had bent down to pick up her cell when another hand swooped it up instead. Originally Jasmine wanted to snap at the person for snatching up her phone – and possibly making off with it – but she froze completely when she found herself staring into the most perfect pair of aquamarine eyes attached to the most handsome and attractive man she'd ever seen in her life.

"This is a nice phone," the young man said with an equally attractive smile. He was tall and was muscular yet not overly so and lean. His hair, which almost grazed his shoulders was a striking silver color, leaving Jasmine wondering whether or not it was his natural color or if it was dyed. Every part of him seemed perfect but she was still stuck on his hypnotizing blue/green eyes. "Don't want to smash the screen."

Jasmine opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She blushed slightly and politely took her phone back, shoving it in her purse along with her earphones. "Thank you." She adjusted the strap of the tote on her arm. "Have a nice day." With that she sped off the train and didn't look back, her only focus being that she had to get back to her apartment.

Once Jasmine was back at the university apartments, she fished her purse for her keys and entered both her and Naminé's shared apartment and locked the door behind her.

The pair had known each other since freshman year of college and met as roommates. It wasn't long after that, that a friendship blossomed. Jasmine and Naminé elected to be each others' roommates for the remainder of their time at university and set up a nice apartment for the two of them.

She dropped her keys on the coffee table near the entrance and kicked off her sandals before walking into the apartment. Jasmine walked into the kitchen and set the tote bag full of Tifa's goodies on the countertop before shortly disappearing into her bedroom to change into a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt.

'Who was that guy?' Jasmine thought as she stepped into her purple and white themed bedroom while stripping off her work clothes.

Jasmine tossed her cell phone and purse on her neat and tidy desk before crouching down on the carpet to pull out the trunk under her equally neat and immaculate bed. Upon taking off the clasps, Jasmine lifted the lid and looked through her enormous movie collection. Once Jasmine finally decided on what to watch she slipped the DVD box into her mouth and closed the trunk, pushing it back under her bed with her foot.

She headed into the kitchen and pulled out the salad and cheesecake, deciding to save the rest of the meal for dinner when Naminé got home.

'Does he go to university? I've never seen him before,' her mind rambled as she plopped down on the sofa in front of the tv, watching the opening credits roll.

Upon remembering his face, Jasmine blushed again. 'He's so handsome…'

Jasmine immediately shook away all thoughts of the boy and huffed, digging her fork into the salad and shoving a huge amount into her mouth.

"Nope nope nope," she chanted furiously. "You need to stay away from all men." Jasmine swallowed. 'He was just some random guy you met on the train and he was nice enough to return your phone to you. Probably realized you were in a skirt and didn't want you to have to bend over…' Jasmine reasoned with herself. 'Chances of you seeing him again are practically zero to none. Besides a guy like that probably has a girlfriend – who is probably equally as gorgeous as he is.'

When the first dialogue of the movie began, Jasmine decided to bury all thoughts of him away in the back of her mind and to never revisit them again.

However when a scene of the ocean popped up on the screen, Jasmine's mind wandered back to his eyes.

"I've never seen anyone with eyes like the ocean before…" she trailed off dreamily.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey you guys! Well I know I should be updating the new chapter of "Sins and an Absolution" (and I have half of it finished…it's just very long and in dire need of editing) but I was just randomly came up with the inspiration for a new short story. By short, I mean no more than five chapters which will be a first for me.

Plus I, like my OC, am going through a really painful break up and I thought that this was a subject people could relate to. I am not pushing my situation on Jasmine as they are totally different but I figured that this might be something you guys would like. Besides lol this is keeping me somewhat sane for now. Also I figure writing is healthier than sitting on the couch eating straight cookie dough for five hours straight.

Please, tell me what you think in a review and I'll try and update asap. Like I said this story will either be five chapters or less so it won't take too long to get through. Although I promise you the next chapter will be considerably longer.

Take care!


	2. Chapter 2

Naminé's mouth stretched to its limits as she yawned. The blond emerged from her bedroom early on Monday morning with her hair a mess and still in her pajamas. She rubbed her eyes as she walked down the hall and then froze, sniffing the air to learn that someone was cooking breakfast.

When Naminé entered the living room, she got a clear view of the kitchen and spotted Jasmine over by the stove turning over chopped potatoes and slivers of sausage in a skillet. She took a seat by the bar and smiled.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Breakfast smells amazing."

Jasmine, who was dressed in a pair of shorts and an old tee shirt, greeted her. "Morning, I'm making a skillet. Is that okay or would you like me to fix something else for you?"

Naminé waved her hands. "Oh goodness no! I'll eat anything you cook. Thank you so much, Jasmine!"

Jasmine reached into the cabinet above the stove and pulled out two large, white plates with black flowers printed on them. She set the first one down in front of Naminé, picked up the skillet and then began dishing out the breakfast onto her plate until Naminé told her to stop. Once she was done, Jasmine handed Naminé a fork and then took out one for herself before serving up her own plate of food.

"What do you have planned for the day?" Jasmine asked, eating while standing by the stove.

"Well," Naminé pursed her lips. "I was going to finish some laundry, clean my room – oh and Roxas invited me out for dinner tonight."

Jasmine played around in her food for a piece of sausage and then popped it in her mouth. "Isn't it your sixth month anniversary?"

Naminé's eyes widened as she chewed. She covered her mouth as she swallowed. "How did you know?"

"I was there when he asked you out," she reminded her dear friend, "of course I remember your anniversary." Jasmine had already finished her first helping and began scooping up another portion. "He showed up to your class on Valentine's Day with a bouquet of tulips and asked you to dinner. It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen."

The blond blushed fiercely, turning her head to the side to prevent Jasmine from seeing. "He's a great guy."

While Naminé finished breakfast, Jasmine's thoughts began to slip into darker places. She recalled the first day that her and her most recent ex met. They both shared the same discussion lecture for a statistics class last semester and got paired together for an assignment. Soon after the assignment was complete, talk of statistics eventually led to talk of weekend plans which eventually led to an invitation for a night out.

Jasmine gave a heavy sigh and fought the heaviness in her chest.

She knew that it had only been a short time since the breakup but she didn't expect to be feeling as sad as she was the day he left.

"Jas? Is something the matter?"

Jasmine blinked and looked up to see Naminé with concern clearly plastered on her face.

"I'm okay Nam," she half-lied. "I was…I was just thinking, that's all."

Instantly Naminé knew what was wrong. "Jasmine, you should get out and enjoy the day to take your mind off things. Staying in the apartment all day isn't going to help you feel better."

"I know I know," Jasmine repeated. She set her empty plate down in the sink and ran the water, reaching for a sponge and the dish washing soap. "I just haven't been feeling well."

Naminé frowned. "He was a real jerk for what he did to you," she said with heavy disapproval. "You didn't deserve that."

As many times as Jasmine had been told that she still couldn't help but run her mind through her relationship, to see where she messed up or where she went wrong. However Naminé had to constantly remind her that, in all honesty, Jasmine was completely innocent. Still, after so many years Jasmine had been conditioned to believe that if a relationship fails, then both partners are at fault and so Jasmine continued to search for flaws on her own end to see how she contributed to the breakup.

"We've been through this a bunch of times," Naminé balled her fists, "I've seen the way the two of you reacted. Sometimes, it's not always both people in the relationship who mess up and I'm not just saying that because I'm your friend." Jasmine listened carefully while Naminé continued. While the blond appeared naïve and innocent, she was actually very wise on certain subjects and it wouldn't kill her to pay attention to what she had to say. "You were patient, you were loyal, you did nice things for him on a regular basis – even when he didn't deserve it – and were as close to perfect as a girlfriend could get. He's the one who messed up," she pointed to Jasmine, "I bet you he'll come running back before the end of summer. Just you watch."

Jasmine's shoulders slumped and she went back to washing her plate, taking Naminé's when she was done. "I highly doubt that but we'll see."

* * *

As per Naminé's suggestion – or rather demand in Jasmine's eyes – she decided to take the train and go to the beach. While Naminé had a car and Jasmine had her motorcycle, Jasmine thought that since it was a beautiful day she could ride the train and get a gorgeous view of the ocean in order to calm herself down.

For the day, Jasmine slipped on a purple tank top, jean shorts and flip flops, deciding to keep her hair braided to prevent the island winds from whipping through it and destroying whatever hairstyle she would have chosen otherwise. After saying goodbye to her roommate, Jasmine walked to the train station, purchased her ticket, boarding the first train that took her to the ocean.

With it being a work day for most people, the train was once again nearly empty. In fact, Jasmine had the car she usually sat on all to herself. Smiling slightly, she held tightly onto her messenger bag and took a seat on one of the plush, red seats and relaxed.

Jasmine reached into her bag for her cell phone and earphones, plugging the tiny buds into her ear to drown out the sounds from the train.

Jasmine took a seat at a solo table at one of her favorite ocean-side cafés on the Destiny Islands. From her spot on the pier she could see shops on the boardwalk down below, trinket shops the locals owned and, most importantly, the ocean.

She smiled softly to herself and set her bag down on the table at her side, taking comfort in being isolated in a corner with no one really around in the café to bother her.

Jasmine called a waiter and ordered a small salad and iced tea, pulling out a journal in the process. In between bites and sipping her tea, Jasmine jotted down all the thoughts that randomly popped into her mind while admiring the scenery around her.

In all honesty, Jasmine hadn't really thought too much about attending university on the Destiny Islands. Her parents had always pushed for schools on the more elite islands like Hollow Bastion or Radiant Garden simply because there was a vast amount of wealth to be had there. It wasn't until she took a tour of the Destiny Islands that Jasmine fell in love with the island. Shortly after her visit, on the train ride home back to Twilight Town, she had accepted her admission to the school and the rest was history.

She often wondered what would have happened if she went to the other universities. In reality, all three were on par academically. The only thing that Radiant Garden and Hollow Bastion had over the Destiny Islands was the fact that there were a substantial amount of wealthy people living there. Jasmine's mother had always jokingly stated that she should have gone to Radiant Garden so that she could meet and marry a rich man, making life substantially easier. However Jasmine knew better. There was no jest there which probably furthered Jasmine from the other universities. She wanted to finally take control of her life on her own and by heading to this particular island away from her controlling and demanding parents she'd taken the first step in securing her independence.

About thirty minutes after Jasmine had finished her salad and put in an order for another tea, her waiter showed up to the table with a small plate of chocolate cake, setting it in front of her.

Jasmine held up her hands. "I'm sorry," she told him politely, "I didn't order this."

The waiter smiled as if he were in on an inside joke. "I know Miss. A patron paid for it on his way out."

Jasmine's cheeks reddened. This sort of thing didn't happen to her. She'd been out with Naminé on a few occasions where an admirer would buy her a drink but she never believed that it would be her on the receiving end.

"So he's gone then," Jasmine sighed, slightly disappointed.

"Afraid so Miss," the waiter then handed Jasmine a small white envelope, which she initially hesitated to take, "he had to leave for an urgent appointment but he did leave you this, hoping to see you again."

Jasmine leaned back, feeling warmth spread through her face. Carefully, she tore open the envelope and read the message.

"_Hope this sweet treat brings a smile to your face. I hope you have a wonderful day."_

"Wow…" Jasmine whispered bashfully, laughing in embarrassment.

"It's always nice to have a secret admirer," the waiter chimed in with a smile at seeing the girl's reaction. "Enjoy your dessert, Miss," and with that he took his leave.

Once he was gone Jasmine took a quick look around the outside area of the café. As of right now, she was completely alone. Sitting back down in her seat, she picked up her fork and grinned as she took a bite of the delicious chocolate treat.

"Whoever sent this has great taste in sweets," Jasmine mumbled, enjoying the rest of her cake in silent all the while hoping in the back of her mind that she would somehow manage to bump into her admirer.

* * *

Tifa stared at the message while Jasmine and Naminé wiped down the tables in the café.

"I knew you wouldn't stay off the market for long," Tifa teased, leaning against one of the registers.

Jasmine hid her blush by turning her back on the boss. "Oh please! It's just someone being nice. I'd say that someone was just trying to get some good karma."

Naminé elbowed Tifa's arm when she was done wiping off the tables, joining her in the front. "Jasmine's just embarrassed because she has a secret admirer."

"I am not embarrassed and I don't have an admirer!" Jasmine argued weakly.

"I'm sure she's blushing, that's why she won't look at us," Tifa added.

The ebony haired college junior groaned and threw the washrag down on the chair next to the table she was cleaning. "Are we back in high school here?"

Naminé rolled her eyes. "It was a nice gesture Jasmine. Don't be such a killjoy. You might ruin your chances of seeing that person again if you're so negative about it."

Tifa nodded her head in agreement with Naminé. "She's right you know. You get what you put out. Don't be such a stiff, honey."

Jasmine gave an exaggerated sigh and plopped down in one of the chairs next to her. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she lamented sadly, causing Naminé and Tifa to quickly become concerned. "I'm still in a funk and I can't seem to get out of it."

"Well you can start by going with me and some of Roxas' friends to the karaoke bar tonight."

Jasmine frowned. "I think I'll pass." Then an idea came to mind. "I have to close up. Can't do it."

Tifa's smile widened. "Nice try. I asked Selphie to come in and cover your shift tonight." Jasmine's hopes of escaping one of Naminé's nights out were slashed. The two must have planned this earlier in the week. "You have no classes for summer vacation so you can't use studying as an excuse. Go home with Naminé, put on a sexy pair of heels and go out. You practically damn near kill yourself during the school year. Summer should be the time when you let your hair down." She stood near her employee and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Naminé playfully tugged on Jasmine's braided hair. "Figuratively and literally speaking."

Jasmine pulled away. "Okay okay okay! I'll go out with you tonight." Tifa and Naminé high fived each other when the dark-haired waitress put her finger in their faces. "But I WON'T sing."

The blond took Jasmine by her shoulders and shook her. "Jasmine, you're not one of those drunks who get on stage and THINK they can sing. You have a talent. Show it off once in a while."

Tifa leaned next to Naminé and whispered, "Slip her three or four drinks. She'll be onstage in no tme."

"Hey!" Jasmine snapped indignantly. "I heard that!"

"I know," Tifa laughed. "You were supposed to hear."

Naminé and Tifa giggled amongst each other while a sour look took over Jasmine's face.

"You're the worst boss ever," she muttered.

* * *

"Haven't seen you in a while," Roxas, Naminé's blond, spiky haired boyfriend greeted cheerfully as Jasmine and Naminé took a seat in the booth at the karaoke lounge.

Jasmine, who decided to step out in a pair of dark jeans, an oversized sheer black top with matching bandeau and tall black stilettos smiled as she slid in next to Naminé, who decided to go for a more club look with her knee length strapless white dress and gold sandals.

"I saw you last week," Jasmine told him, taking the shot of alcohol in front of her and downing it like a pro.

"Whoa!" Naminé laughed. "Don't get too excited. Don't need you passing out on us in the first five minutes."

Jasmine smirked and slammed the shot glass back down in front of her, grabbing another one. "We all know who the lightweight is here. Isn't that right, Roxas?"

Naminé turned a shade of pink when Roxas broke out into a fit of laughter. "It's not funny!"

"Ha!" Jasmine scoffed. "It's funny when you get tipsy off two shots of vodka and take off your shoes to run around the club."

Roxas' shoulders shook from the laughter, earning a glare from his girlfriend. "Hey," he struggled to control his chuckles, "it was pretty funny. You gotta admit."

"It wasn't funny when I tripped and slid under the table," Naminé grumbled.

"You're right," Jasmine agreed, smirking devilishly, downing another shot with ease. "It was hilarious. For someone as quiet and peaceful as you, you sure did make a mess that night."

Naminé immediately turned her back on Jasmine and changed the subject. "When are your friends getting here?"

Roxas pulled his cell phone from his pocket and wrapped an arm around Naminé's shoulder. "They should be here in ten or twenty minutes. Some of them had to work late at their internships."

Jasmine acknowledged Roxas but slipped into her own world, distancing herself from the couple while she listened to the loud, pulsating club music. Truth be told, Jasmine loved clubs and bars. To her, they were a place where she could just merge into the crowd of people and vanish without actually disappearing. She could relax, hang out, and enjoy a drink to escape her cares of the normal world. If it were up to her, she'd never leave. But then again, she'd seen all too well what happens to those who put more energy who going out at night than their day jobs or school and she had no desire to let the nightlife take her.

After about half an hour, some of Roxas' friends (a girl with auburn hair falling past her shoulders, another blond with a mullet, a tall boy with strange orange hair tied back with a blue headband) arrived and they all took part in the drinks with Jasmine being ever so slightly reserved throughout the night. However (as Naminé had predicted) after Jasmine's second mixed drink she had loosened up a bit and was becoming more social.

"So where are you from?" The redhead named Kairi asked.

"Twilight Town," Jasmine replied. "I grew up there."

"What made you want to come to the island?" The orange-haired young man inquired, taking a shot following the question.

Jasmine shrugged, feeling her face become warm. She was starting to feel a buzz. "Just needed a change of scenery, you know?"

"I feel that," he replied cheerfully, grabbing another shot and holding it up. Jasmine followed suit and picked up another glass, taking a shot with the boy she remembered calling himself Wakka. Just as they finished taking their shot, the girl onstage singing a catchy pop song stopped singing and the crowd clapped for her.

Naminé grabbed Jasmine's shoulders. "You should go up and sing now!"

Jasmine's eyes widened in fear. "No! I can't!"

"Can she sing?" Kairi asked Naminé.

Roxas, whose face was also turning slightly red from all the shots he took throughout the night answered for his girlfriend. "Nam says she's amazing. Go on Jasmine! Show these guys what you're made of!"

Had this of been a normal night, Jasmine would have immediately said no bluntly and demanded that the subject be changed. However, after a few drinks and deciding that it would be worse later back at her apartment if she didn't go up, Jasmine conceded and gave a heavy sigh.

Jasmine steadied herself and scooted out of the booth, being ever so careful that she didn't fall over. When she'd been drinking she wasn't clumsy but with things not going so well for her lately, Jasmine didn't want to make a fool out of herself especially when there was alcohol in her system. One, it would not make a good first impression on Roxas' friends and two: public embarrassment would not help her mood.

"This is just so you won't talk about me later!" Jasmine called, resulting in cheering from the booth. Immediately, as soon as she agreed to go onstage, she felt her stomach drop and her chest tighten as she crossed the small dance floor over to the DJ booth. Truth be told, Jasmine had not gotten on a stage and sang anything since she graduated from high school. The only real singing she did for fun was in the shower or in the apartment when Naminé was gone. In the forefront of her mind she wondered if this was a good idea. What if she was terrible? What if she royally embarrassed herself in front of the group? It would be a sour first memory for sure.

The DJ held his hand out to Jasmine when she was near the platform. "Come on honey," he called.

Jasmine stared at the hand for a brief moment. She closed her eyes, silently praying that she wouldn't make a fool of herself and allowed him to help pull her up on stage.

"Do you know what you want to sing?" He asked, leading her to the tuntables and showing her the list of songs off his laptop.

Jasmine skimmed through the titles by genre until she came across a song she knew very well. "This one," she decided, clicking on the track.

When Jasmine was at the microphone, she took hold of the stand with both hands, waiting anxiously for the music to begin. She looked up and saw her booth of friends cheering for her, causing her to blush. 'Here goes nothing.'

When the music played, Jasmine closed her eyes and began to sing. Near the beginning of the catchy pop tune, those near the stage who were walking by stopped and stared while others who were sitting at tables or booths got up and moved closer to watch the unknown girl perform.

As the song progressed Jasmine began to feel more comfortable with herself and began to dance along, opening her eyes and staring at her friends who cheered her on along with the crowd of people forming in front of the stage.

While Jasmine sang and became lost in the music, she began imagining her ex as the lyrics incidentally seemed to coincide with her relationship. Her heart slowly sank as memories of the two of them began to flash through her mind. Thoughts of their time together from their first meeting to that day on the train station assaulted her, causing Jasmine to become emotional, tears building up behind her eyes. However, to counter this, she continued to sing, her voice gaining strength as if she were trying to overpower her emotions.

'Think of that silver-haired boy you saw,' she told herself, pulling her hair out of her face with one hand. 'Or think of that guy who sent you the note. Imagine that one of them are here, watching you in the crowd.'

Jasmine did so and sure enough, she imagined the silver-haired guy she bumped into sitting at one of the tables by himself. Turning her attention away from the crowd she directed her attention to where she imagined that mysterious boy with the perfect blue eyes would have been.

Once the song was over, the crowd erupted with cheering and applause, causing Jasmine to break free from her vision. Shyly, she bowed before the crowd, her face tingling from the positive attention. Even the DJ was clapping for her.

"Wow," he said into the microphone.

Then just as suddenly, the image of Jasmine watching her ex get on the train hit her and she felt a disconnect with her surroundings. Her emotions began to overpower her and, after thanking the DJ for his gracious complements, she got off the stage, ducking and weaving through the thick throng of people and over to the booth where only Naminé was at the time.

Jasmine collected her jacket and purse, keeping her head down.

"Wait, where are you going?" The blond asked, grabbing her arm. "Are you okay?"

Jasmine shook her head, allowing her bangs to fall in her eyes and partially obscure her vision. "No. I'm going home. I don't feel well," she said abruptly, feeling her emotions getting the best of her. "Please tell everyone I said bye. I have to get out of here."

Right after Naminé nodded in understanding, her face taking on a mask of deep concern, she wished her friend a safe trip home and watched her bolt for the door.

* * *

She laid in bed the following morning, eyes red from lack of sleep. Ever since the breakup, Jasmine couldn't get a full night's rest if her life depended on it. Half the time, she wasn't even thinking of her ex to be honest. The things keeping her up were flashbacks of her life in general, her future, and her interactions with other men. Nothing seemed to be going right and the breakup didn't do anything to dispel these feelings of hopelessness.

'I really need to get my life in some sort of order,' she thought sadly.

Her eyes wandered to her nightstand where the letter sat. Then just as suddenly, Jasmine turned over on her side and buried herself in the covers in a feeble attempt to hide from the new day. She knew that laying around wouldn't make anything change in her life but sometimes lounging in bed was therapeutic and so she sought comfort in her plush comforters and pretended that as long as she was there in bed, that nothing could ever harm her.

The door swung open and Naminé entered slowly. "How are you feeling, Jasmine?"

The girl pulled the covers off her face. "Bleh," she stuck out her tongue. "I'm better than I was last night."

Naminé leaned against the doorframe and brushed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "I'm glad. Put on some shorts and come have some breakfast."

Jasmine grumbled. "I'm not very hungry, Naminé. I can't eat when I first wake up in the morning. I'm weird like that."

"Oh come now," the blond tsked. "You drank last night and you need a healthy meal to get your body in check. Besides, Roxas is here and he won't leave until he sees that you're okay. To be honest," Naminé admitted, "he was worried about you too when you rushed out of the bar."

Guilt slowly overcoming Jasmine she bit her lip and slowly crawled out of bed, searching for a tee shirt to throw over the sports bra she slept in during the warm summer nights. Jasmine leaned over her bed and pulled a pair of shorts from underneath. "I didn't know he was here," she said absently as she tied her hair into a high, messy bun.

"I promised him a while ago that I'd make him breakfast. I never followed up on it. Plus, I told you he was concerned about you since you didn't call me when you got home safely. You were drinking after all," Naminé repeated.

Jasmine threw the covers off her and reached for her glasses, sliding them on her face as she tucked part of her shirt into her shorts just so Roxas wouldn't think that she was wearing only a tee shirt. "I'll say good morning and eat a little bit."

Naminé grinned and grabbed Jasmine's hand. "Awesome! I made all your favorites. Tilapia, grits, scrambled eggs…"

Jasmine immediately became suspicious. "Did you do something awful and thought that you'd make up for it by cooking my favorite foods? You don't usually cook full meals like this Nam…"

The blond shook her head and skipped ahead of Jasmine, bouncing down the hall and taking a sharp turn into the kitchen area. "Just come out and eat. Today is going to be a good day."

Deciding to not pay too much mind to Naminé's generosity and taking it for what it was on the surface, Jasmine shrugged and moved on, taking a bobby pin stuck in her head and using it to clip back her bangs. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Naminé," she called warily.

When Jasmine entered the living room/kitchen area, she froze when she spotted everyone sitting at the table. Naminé took a seat across from Roxas at their table who waved enthusiastically. "Morning!" he greeted.

However, Jasmine was unable to answer and she stopped dead in her tracks. There was a third person at the table that she did not know personally but had seen before. He sat with his back to Jasmine originally but then upon hearing her footsteps, the person turned around, revealing himself to be the same attractive, silver-haired guy she'd met on the train not too long ago.

Jasmine's felt the world shift when her hazel eyes made contact with his oceanic ocean blue orbs.

"I thought I'd bring along my friend," Roxas said, sensing Jasmine's hesitance. "I hope you don't mind."

Jasmine shook her head, unable to speak. She crossed her arms self-consciously across her chest. "Uh, no, um, that's fine…" she said robotically, breaking eye contact with the mysterious guest.

'What a way to start a morning…' Jasmine thought.

Roxas, who had a fork full of food, set it down and stood up as did his friend. "This is my friend, Riku. He goes to university with us. He came by last night to hang out but you bolted before I could introduce you."

The one named Riku approached Jasmine with a confident, calm stride and held his hand out to her. "Looks like we keep bumping into each other," he said with a smile that could melt any heart.

"I'd say so," Jasmine said cautiously, feeling her cheeks reddening. She stared at his hand and then slowly took it.

"My name is Riku. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss…"

Jasmine quickly pulled her hand back after he gave a firm handshake, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through her body. "Jasmine," she told him. "Nice to meet you too."

Naminé shared a secret smile with Roxas and then grabbed Jasmine by the shoulders. "Come on! Let's sit down and eat."

Immediately when Jasmine took a seat across from Riku at the table she realized that this was a set up planned by both Naminé and Roxas. 'I'm going to kill her…' she seethed mentally, ignoring Riku's gaze while not trying to make it obvious. 'I should have never told her about that guy I met on the train.'

"Riku came by later because his internship got out late," Naminé explained after she took a bit out of her fish. "He missed most of the party."

Roxas pointed his fork at Jasmine. "But _he_ did hear you sing."

Jasmine's face was practically burning from embarrassment. 'So I wasn't imagining him there after all,' she thought while cursing the effects of the alcohol. 'I really need to stop drinking.'

"You've really got a beautiful voice," Riku complemented. "I was stunned. I thought I was listening to a legitimate singer."

"T-Thank you," Jasmine stammered, focusing on her food and devouring it as fast as possible without trying to seem like a pig.

"Riku came by the table after you left and we thought it would be fun if we all got together," Naminé explained. "You split before we had the chance to introduce you two so we figured that it would be nice to have breakfast."

'I'm sure you did you little sneak,' Jasmine fumed internally, slipping the last piece of fish on her fork and then into her mouth. 'I'm sure you did.' She pushed her seat back and slowly rose from the table, taking her plate with her and setting it in the kitchen sink to soak. "I'll be back," Jasmine mumbled as she disappeared to the back to head to her bedroom.

'How could you do this to me, Naminé?' Jasmine whined mentally, pulling out her jeans and a plain gray tank top from her drawer and replacing them with her pajamas. She took down her bun and braided down her hair after putting in her contact lenses. Once she found her combat boots, she stuffed a backpack with her wallet, keys and cell phone. Luckily for Jasmine she legitimately had to run around and do a few errands so she could excuse herself without being rude. It was the perfect excuse for leaving this incredibly awkward situation Naminé set her up in.

On her way out Jasmine grabbed her motorcycle helmet and headed to the front door.

Naminé, Roxas and Riku were standing around in the kitchen chatting amongst one another when the blond noticed her roommate preparing to leave. "Jasmine! Where are you going?"

"Remember?" she held up her keys and focused her attention on Naminé. "I have to do some running around today."

"Aww really?" Naminé's good cheer was beginning to fade. "Roxas and Riku invited us out to the boardwalk today since it was so nice out. Do you really have to do this now?"

Jasmine sighed, hating the fact that she had to be the buzzkill. "Yeah, I had an appointment for one of my internships for the year and then I have to pick up something from the doctor. I've been trying to meet up with this internship for weeks and finally got an opening."

"Oh yes," the memory came back to Naminé slowly, "I can't believe I forgot."

"Well there's always next time," Roxas added with a rueful smile.

Jasmine nodded her head. "Yeah, we have next time," she agreed, eyes falling on the door.

"It was nice meeting you," Riku said, offering a smile. "I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to hang out, right?"

'Another time?' Jasmine couldn't help but blush at the idea of spending more time with Riku. However she quickly dismissed the idea, deciding that it wasn't a good idea. "Maybe. It was nice meeting you too. Bye guys." With that Jasmine left without a word and mounted on her motorcycle. 'I don't know what I'm getting all worked up for. I'm busy and dealing with a break up. I don't have time to entertain the idea of possibly hanging out with someone who probably isn't interested in me like that anyway.' She turned on the ignition and glanced back at the apartment, thinking of how she ran out the door the night she ran to catch her ex. 'I really don't need men in my life. Why make things more complicated than they have to be,' Jasmine thought as she took off on her bike down the street.

* * *

"No matter how you slice it Naminé, what you did was _definitely _a set up," Jasmine reiterated for the umpteenth time to her blond roommate who was standing by the front of the restaurant near the podium looking over the reservations.

The blond clasped her hands together as if she were begging. "Oh come on! Riku and Roxas are friends."

When Jasmine originally mentioned spotting Riku on the train that day to Naminé, she had no idea that this person had connections that hit so close to home. Jasmine was perfectly content with letting him drift into her memory as a random passerby with a gorgeous face that she _might _happen to see on the train every now and then. She had no intention of really ever meeting him again, nor did she expect it. Now with him so close, Jasmine was on the defensive and did her best to try and put him out of her mind (failing miserably all the while).

"I should have never told you about that dude on the train," Jasmine sighed, slipping the red apron on over her black button up shirt and black knee length uniform skirt. "I should have left it alone."

Naminé made her way in front of Jasmine, blocking her from the guest list sitting on the podium. "I didn't know he knew Roxas in the beginning." She cleared her throat and explained herself. "When Roxas and I went out I went through the pictures on his phone and ran across a picture of him with Riku and Kairi."

"Go on," Jasmine gently moved Naminé out of the way so that she could continue to handle the reservations.

"He fit the description of the guy you mentioned and I asked Roxas a few questions. I figure it would be nice to see the guy you've been fantasizing about," Naminé added with a mischievous smile.

Jasmine's face flushed red. "I have not been fantasizing about Riku."

Naminé took advantage of Jasmine's embarrassment and prodded at the subject. "Don't lie. He's absolutely gorgeous and I know you've been thinking about him ever since that day on the train…even if it's just been ever so often during the course of time."

"Naminé!"

"You guys can just hang out if anything," she explained, hanging over Jasmine's shoulder. "Roxas told me that he doesn't have a girlfriend and that he isn't dating anyone. You're free to do whatever you want."

Jasmine bumped Naminé aside with her hip and handled the elderly couple who entered the café, silencing the blond immediately as she handled business. As soon as one of the other waitresses escorted the couple to their table did Naminé and Jasmine start up their conversation again.

"I'm avoiding men like the plague, Nam. I don't need any new guys coming into my life," Jasmine explained tiredly.

Naminé was still persistent. "You can't hold every guy responsible for what your ex did. Honestly, you could miss out on a lot of good friendships and relationships that way. What's the harm in even talking to Riku? He's really cool."

Jasmine gave Naminé a sideways glance. "The first problem is that he's so attractive that I get tongue tied whenever I see him so clearly a conversation isn't going to happen. The second problem is that I'm trying to avoid men all together, at least until I get my head on straight."

"All I'm saying is that you should just relax a bit. Seriously, you might miss out on something great if you don't chill."

Before Jasmine could say anything, Tifa called her to the kitchen. Jasmine politely dismissed herself from the conversation before running back to meet her boss.

Tifa was placing some of the spices on the shelves but struggled to reach because of her height. "Help me out with this, will you, Jasmine?"

"Of course," Jasmine rushed to Tifa's side and began slipping the spices on the top shelves.

"How have you been doing lately? Feeling any better?" Tifa asked, taking a seat on a nearby stool.

Jasmine pulled the older spices to the front of the cabinet while pushing the newer ones back. "It gets a little bit easier day by day," she calmly explained, "I mean there are still a lot of moments where I get down but I'm just trying to take it slowly."

"I'm glad you're looking at this calmly and are able to function. I remember the first time Cloud and I separated," Tifa said wistfully.

Jasmine whipped around, her eyes wide with confusion. "CLOUD? Your fiancé? You two separated?"

Tifa threw her head back and laughed at Jasmine's outburst. "Yes dear. We separated a few years ago after our one year anniversary." She stared at the gorgeous engagement ring on her hand and smiled despite having revealed such a painful part of her past.

"Well what happened?" Jasmine asked nervously.

"We were both heavily involved in the services and we were long distance. Cloud isn't that good with communication so we thought it best to take a break and come back to the relationship when we were ready and stable."

Jasmine swallowed hard. "That must have been difficult."

Tifa folded her hands. "It was honestly."

"I mean, there was no guarantee that either of you wouldn't have met someone else. How did you get through that?"

The beautiful café owner smiled softly. "I just hoped for the best and had faith in him. When Cloud makes a promise, he always keeps it. That's probably one of the reasons why I fell for him in the first place. He's so reliable and dependable."

"Wow," Jasmine breathed in awe and amazement. "I hope you two are very happy together. I'm sure the wedding will be wonderful."

"Well hopefully you'll be there to see it. You're definitely invited."

Jasmine's heart swelled. Whenever she had one on one time with Tifa, they were always quite positive. But then again, that's just the kind of person Tifa was. Since Jasmine had met her a couple of years ago, she'd never heard a negative thing come out of the older woman's mouth. That was a fact.

"Let me get back out there," Jasmine dismissed herself, waving to Tifa on her way out and made her way back to the front.

As soon as Jasmine appeared, Naminé rushed to her with one of the tablets they used to take orders. "There's a patron in the back near the window with the screen pulled up who needs you." She motioned her head towards the crowd of people coming in for lunch time. "I'd do it but we're swamped."

Jasmine took the tablet and patted Naminé's shoulder. "I got it. The patron with the screen? Right?"

"Yup," Naminé shooed Jasmine away. "Go on! Get to work!"

Sticking her tongue out good-naturedly, Jasmine went along, heels clacking noisily against the floor as she walked. She scrolled through the tablet until she got to the menu and smiled politely when she rounded the corner to meet the patron. "Welcome to Seventh Heaven," she greeted, freezing when she was face to face with her latest customer.

To her shock/horror/surprise, the patron turned out to be none other than Riku who seemed to look even more handsome in a well-fitted gray suit.

Jasmine did a double take and then looked to the front of the restaurant to see Naminé busy dealing with the other guests. 'This blond sneak set me up _again_…'

"Didn't think I'd see you so soon," Riku said with a smile.

"Y-Yeah," Jasmine stammered. "I could say the same for you," she could practically feel her face heating up but decided to put her feelings aside in order to be as professional as possible. "Are you getting off work?"

Riku sat back in his seat. "I have an internship nearby and decided to take a lunch break. I've never tried the food here but I've heard it's some of the best on the island."

Jasmine cleared her throat, deciding to try and focus on her work. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Just an iced tea," Riku replied.

Jasmine tapped the tablet a few times, making sure to keep her eyes glued to it, and nodded. "I'll be right back with your drink."

"Thank you," Riku said graciously, watching Jasmine quickly disappear presumably to handle his order.

Jasmine whizzed past Naminé and smacked the blond across the shoulder when the patrons weren't looking, causing her to yelp.

"What was that for?" Naminé cried indignantly.

"For setting me up again," Jasmine hissed.

Naminé feigned ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about…."

Jasmine's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh I'm sure," she replied sarcastically. Leaving Naminé alone to her work, she made Riku's drink and then ran it back to his table, praying that she wouldn't do something as embarrassing as to fall. It only seemed fitting that she'd make a fool of herself in front of the most attractive boy she'd ever seen.

"Thank you, Jasmine," Riku took the drink from her and looked up. "How long have you been working here?"

She pulled her long braid over her shoulder and tried to make eye contact to not seem rude, but failing miserably by allowing her gaze to wander. "I've been here since I was a freshman," she answered respectfully.

Riku took another sip of his drink and set his phone down on the table in front of him. "You know, I've never really seen you at the university," he stated observantly. "What's your major?"

'What's with all the questions?' Jasmine screamed mentally. Couldn't he tell how nervous he was making her? Her awkwardness was practically polluting the air around the two of them. Either Riku was genuinely oblivious or he didn't care – the first one probably being more likely. 'I'm sure other girls act like this around him all the time.'

"I'm a third year psychology major, you?"

"Business," he stated. "Maybe that's why I've never run into you on campus."

Jasmine nodded. "I'm sure that's it."

"You know," Riku began slowly, his eyes practically demanding Jasmine's full and undivided attention. When Jasmine finally looked up to meet his gaze she found herself trapped in his perfect blues once again, not entirely sure if it was a good thing or bad thing. "We missed you at the boardwalk. It was fun."

Jasmine gulped awkwardly, not sure of what to say. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely.

"I'm sure you're a busy woman," Riku stated. He laughed then. "But even so it was weird being the third wheel with Naminé and Roxas."

Jasmine gave a rueful half smile. She understood what it was like going out with both Roxas and Naminé. While the two weren't into public displays of affection like a lot of the other couples, it was painfully clear that they were together making it somewhat awkward for whoever it was who went with them. "My apologies." After a short pause, Jasmine asked for Riku's order.

He handed her the menu back. "Just bring me whatever you recommend."

She cocked a dark eyebrow in surprise. "What?"

Riku smirked, nearly causing Jasmine to faint. She didn't know what was more appealing at this point: his eyes, his smile or that devilish smirk of his. "Just surprise me. I'm not allergic to anything and I'm not overly picky. You've been working here for a while so I figure that you must know what some of the better dishes are."

Jasmine stammered, racking her brain on what it was he might possibly want. She had only officially met Riku a couple of days ago. She had no idea what he would want. What if he didn't like what she picked for him? What if one of the chefs were having an off day? What if the food made him sick?

"Just relax," Riku advised, noticing her fear. "I'm sure I'll like whatever you get for me. You look like you know what you're doing."

Jasmine bowed and then disappeared to the back, nerves clearly getting the better of her. She went into the kitchen and gave the chef an order for a creamy pasta and chicken dish with bacon bits and a side of shrimp. She nodded and immediately went to work in preparing the dish while Jasmine took a seat in the employee lounge, wondering how in the world a stranger could have such a strange, almost hypnotic effect on her.

* * *

When Jasmine picked up Riku's meal and delivered it to his table (taking special care to not drop the steaming hot plate and make a fool out of herself), she set it down in front of him. "Can I get you anything else?"

Riku eyed the meal for what felt (for Jasmine anyway) like ages. Instead of answering her he picked up his fork and tried the dish. Jasmine held her breath, mentally chanting, 'Please don't throw up, please don't throw up, please don't throw up' at least a dozen times in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the worst, contemplating how fast she could run away without drawing attention to herself.

"Employee of the month," Riku said with satisfaction clear on his face.

Jasmine exhaled then, relief replacing the tension. "I'm glad," she breathed.

Just then as Jasmine backed away from the table and bumped into someone. She apologized immediately but froze mid-sentence when she realized that she'd backed into Naminé of all people. "Tifa said that it's time for your break."

"Oh awesome," she clasped her hands together. Before she could make her disappearance, Naminé grabbed Jasmine's hand and pushed her down into the chair directly across from Riku.

"Not so fast," Naminé snickered. "You haven't eaten since breakfast," she set the plate of food she had in her free hand in front of Jasmine at the table. "Tifa thought it would be a shame if you got lightheaded with all your hard work and running around."

'I'm going to smother this girl in her sleep,' Jasmine promised herself. 'She's really not good at being tactful – either that or she really just doesn't care.'

Naminé waved to Riku. "How's the food?"

"Perfect," he gave a nod to Jasmine. "Your friend has great taste."

Jasmine folded her hands in her lap and stared at the plate of pasta and shrimp sitting in front of her.

"Enjoy your meal you two," Naminé bounced away in triumph, leaving the pair to themselves.

"Naminé is something else," Riku laughed, noticing the look of bloody murder in Jasmine's eyes as she watched her fellow waitress tend to the other guests.

"Something else is very accurate," she replied without hesitation, causing Riku to chuckle.

"Well seeing as you're here now, I guess I don't have to eat alone," Riku motioned towards her plate. "Go on. Eat."

Jasmine did as she was told and ate her meal in silence along with Riku, secretly coming up with ways to torture Naminé when they got back to the apartment.

When the two were finished, Naminé cleared the table for them and went to the back. Jasmine, having actually enjoyed her meal, lightened up considerably. In truth she was legitimately hungry after only eating a bowl of cereal about six hours ago. She needed this break and it wasn't so terribly awkward sharing a meal in silence with Riku.

Jasmine rose to her feet. "I hope you enjoyed your meal."

"I did," Riku replied graciously. "Looks like I have a new favorite restaurant to go to now."

The thought of seeing Riku again was enough to send her heart into overdrive. "Well I'm glad. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Riku paused, giving Jasmine a curious stare that she couldn't decipher. "No I think I'm done. I need to get back to my internship. I just need the bill."

"Give me one – "Jasmine stopped abruptly when Riku snatched her wrist. Confused and surprised by the action she jumped, feeling that same jolt of electricity as when they shook hands the day they met. "Is everything okay…?"

"Everything's perfect," he reassured her. Riku stood up and released Jasmine's wrist, following her to the register. "I wanted to ask you something."

She distracted herself by printing out his bill. "Ask." Jasmine set the tablet down and picked up a pencil, focused on the computer screen in front of her for fear that she might screw up his bill.

"Would you like to get coffee with me tomorrow morning?"

Jasmine snapped the pencil in half and her jaw dropped. It took her at least five seconds to collect herself long enough to realize what had just happened. 'Did he just ask me out? ME? Out of all people? Is this really happening? I must be dreaming? Yeah…maybe I passed out in the employee lounge again and I'm really just dreaming…'

"Are you seriously asking me out?" Jasmine gasped, her face now turning several shades of red.

Riku laughed and slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I am actually. You seem shocked…"

Jasmine's mouth opened and closed. She was flabbergasted. Maybe this wasn't a dream after all. "I mean, I kind of am…" she admitted honestly.

"Was I too forward?" Riku asked, giving her an apologetic smile.

"No," Jasmine said hastily. "I mean, you're speaking your mind."

"If you're not interested, I'll understand. To be honest we really don't know each other very well and I get it if you say no."

Jasmine immediately felt guilty for giving Riku such a negative, confusing reaction. While her mind screamed "yes", her heart was unsure. After all, it had only been a few weeks since she broke up with her boyfriend.

Riku cocked his head to the side and handed her his credit card. "Like I said, I'll understand if you're not up for it."

Jasmine swiped his credit card through the machine and handed it back to him. "No…umm…" She inhaled deeply. 'It's just coffee. What's the worst that could happen? It doesn't even have to turn into anything. He might be a cool new friend. Naminé is right. If I don't lighten up and open up a bit more I'll end up by myself while everyone else is off living their lives. Worst case scenario we just hang out. He seems nice enough.' Jasmine gave a small smile. "What time?"

Riku's confident smile returned. "9:30…unless that's too early for you."

"Umm," she brushed her bangs out of her face. "No that's fine with me."

"Great. I'll pick you up at your place tomorrow morning at 9:30."

"Sounds good," Jasmine replied, feeling her chest swell with emotions she couldn't quite place.

"I'll see you then," Riku brushed past Jasmine and she felt one of his gloved hands brush her hip briefly. "Have a great day, Jasmine. Thank you for the meal. It was delicious."

Jasmine shivered from the contact, unable to even form a coherent sentence. Instead, she watched him leave the restaurant and stood there frozen as he stole one final glance from her.

'Wow…'

Naminé squealed and threw her arms around Jasmine's shoulders. "See what happens when you lighten up!"

Jasmine was still too stunned by what had transpired to even speak. "Wow…"

"Now we have to figure out what you're going to wear when we get home." Naminé turned around and waved to Tifa. "It worked!"

Jasmine snorted indignantly. "I should have known that you two were scheming and plotting together."

Tifa giggled and leaned against the counter. "Naminé was right. He's gorgeous. You two are a good looking couple."

"We're not together!" She shouted, drawing attention from other patrons in the restaurant, furthering her embarrassment. Jasmine fanned herself. "It's just coffee. Nothing is going to come from it." She fished around in her apron for a pen and fingered a piece of paper that was not there before. Jasmine pulled it out and found a neatly folded note. "What's this?" When she unfolded the note a twenty dollar bill fell onto the floor. Jasmine bent down on her knees and picked it up, staring at the note. Written on it was Riku's full name and his phone number as well.

She recalled the moment when his hand lightly brushed against her hip. He must have slipped the tip and note in her apron in that brief moment.

Naminé and Tifa smiled like two school girls.

"He's good," Tifa commented.

"And that's a nice tip too," Naminé pointed out. "The meal wasn't even that expensive."

Jasmine's eyes wandered to the door once more where Riku left out from. "Yeah," she agreed distantly. "He's really good…"

* * *

**Author's Note**: Thanks guys for all the positive feedback and concern. I'm doing a lot better now. I'm glad everyone seemed to like the first chapter. This one was considerably longer (19 pages on a word document) and I hope to make the next two chapters about the same length because it's such a short story.

I wanna thank all those who read, faved, alerted and the reviewers. It means the world to me guys!

**hopefuldreamer1991**: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for the review!

**animechick247**: It's sad how a lot of couples go through these really intense, crazy break ups that don't seem to always make sense. I wish I had friends like Naminé and Tifa too. They're so cool. And yes, smoking hot guys on trains is always an instant win. Thanks for the review!

**Sookdeo**: I'm so happy that people can relate to this situation and I'm sorry about your experience. Really I am. Oh no. I'm making a happy Riku/Jasmine story (that's a first). Thanks for the review!

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**: Aww it's okay. Thanks for the concern. I feel almost somewhat normal haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Take care and thanks for the review!

**Sarah K.R**: Thanks for the concern. It's getting better one day at a time. I certainly hope that you enjoy the rest of this story. I'll definitely add more info on Jasmine's ex soon. Haha yes. Riku does have a gorgeous set of eyes, doesn't he? Even by fictional character standards lol. I'm glad you liked this chapter and thanks for the review.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please please please tell me what you think in a review and take care everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

Naminé ducked when a pillow came flying at her head early the following morning. "I was only trying to help!" She squealed, diving behind the couch to escape Jasmine's barrage of flying pillows.

"I call bull on that one," Jasmine grumbled, leaving her bedroom with two more pillows tucked under her arms with another in her left hand. "You know, you're pretty sneaky." She gave her a fierce, half-lidded stare and slowly made her way to Naminé's location, chucking a pillow at the blond and nailing her in the head.

Naminé ran into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door to hide behind. "Why are you so mad all of a sudden? You were fine last night!"

Jasmine sighed and leaned against the dining room table, putting space between her and Naminé. "That's because last night after I got off work I was too exhausted to call you out on your foolishness!"

"I was only helping!" She shouted, ducking back behind the refrigerator.

The older girl huffed, clearly satisfied at having been able to strike fear into the blond. "You seemed to be pretty hell-bent on getting Riku and I together…" Jasmine paused and tossed the pillows aside. "What's the deal? This is so unlike you. It's something Selphie would have done."

Naminé, still concerned that Jasmine had a pillow on hand, kept cover. "He's a cool guy, you're a cool girl. What's the big deal?"

Jasmine knew better. There was definitely a reason as to why Naminé would go through such great lengths to put her and Riku together. She'd made that very clear from the breakfast stunt and onwards.

"I mean, you're clearly into him," Naminé finally closed the refrigerator door. "I've never seen you act like such a…_girl _around a guy before."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jasmine frowned.

"You're a hardass," Naminé deadpanned.

Jasmine poked her lips out. "True. But I figured out why I've been so gross lately."

Before Jasmine could finish Naminé cut her off. "Uh, you mean emotional?"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "No, gross. I meant what I said the first time."

"That's your emotions. There's nothing gross about them," Naminé stated plainly.

"I feel like a weak little sap and I know I probably look like an idiot. But like I said, it finally hit me as to why I've been so out of whack lately: it's because of the breakup." Jasmine began to pace the room. "I'm still a bit sensitive. That's why I'm being weird lately."

Even though Jasmine's logic made perfect sense (which it did ninety-nine percent of the time) Naminé was still sure that Riku was different somehow. "Fair enough." She ran over to Jasmine and pushed her along towards her bedroom. "Now it's time to get dressed for your date."

Jasmine grumbled. "It's coffee. Not a date."

Naminé gave Jasmine a gentle shove into her bedroom and immediately went for Jasmine's closet. "It's a coffee date which could turn into a lunch date which could turn into a dinner date."

"You're ridiculous, you know that?"

The flaxen haired girl glanced at her wristwatch. "You've got an hour to get ready. Fifteen minutes to shower, ten to straighten your hair," she glanced over her shoulder and stared at Jasmine's thick, elbow length ebony locks, "make that twenty, and then ten to do your makeup."

"You've thought about this way too much," Jasmine decided, crossing her arms over her chest and falling back on her bed with her eyes glued to the ceiling.

Naminé squealed. "Why shouldn't I be excited? My friend is going out on a date with a complete hottie."

"Did you just say "hottie"?" Jasmine's voice dripped with disgust. It was clear who was more in touch with their inner schoolgirl.

"I did," she answered, taking a step back away from the closet. "You've got too much stuff in here," Naminé sighed. "You've got good fashion sense. Figure it out."

Jasmine eyed Naminé dangerously. "I'm getting sick of these demands."

"And don't come out until you're fabulous," Naminé cheered, slamming the door behind her.

"That was _also_ a demand…" Jasmine breathed.

* * *

When Jasmine emerged about an hour later she was ready for her coffee date. She came out in an oversized, flowing white button up shirt with cut out sleeves with the front slightly tucked into her jeans and flip flops. Jasmine also straightened her hair and put on minimal eye makeup (which for her consisted of black eyeliner and mascara) and had a small messenger bag strapped around her with her phone, wallet and keys inside.

Naminé was sitting on the couch watching television when Jasmine popped up and she smiled in satisfaction. "There you go! You look great!"

Jasmine thanked her for the complement while she slipped on a pair of large, gold statement earrings. "Yeah yeah. I promise you I'll be back in ten minutes after I embarrass myself."

"That's only if you turn into a starstruck mess," Naminé joked.

Jasmine didn't take in much of Naminé's humor. While she appeared calm on the outside she was secretly a complete wreck internally. She had never gone out with a guy like Riku before; so charming, handsome and intelligent.

Part of her was still in disbelief that he'd asked to have coffee with her to begin with.

Jasmine was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that the doorbell rang and that Naminé had rushed to get it.

"Hi Riku!" she greeted much too cheerfully for Jasmine's tastes.

Riku smiled and entered when Naminé stepped aside. He decided to go for a more casual look from his normal suit and tie and wore a pair of dark jeans, a v-neck t-shirt, clean white sneakers and his trademark gloves that he was never seen without. When Jasmine finally turned around and saw him, she inwardly squeaked. Despite the simplicity of his outfit, he was still just as gorgeous as the day she met him.

"Good morning, Jasmine," Riku greeted with a smile.

Jasmine had to keep her cool and act like she wasn't nervous when in reality she wanted to melt at his feet.

"Morning," she responded calmly despite her fluttering heart.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, stepping past Naminé to get to Jasmine. "I know I kinda got you up early," he chuckled.

Jasmine shook her head and steadied her nerves. They were just going out for coffee. She did this sort of thing all the time with Naminé and occasionally with Roxas. It was a simple outing. It didn't necessarily have to have any other secret meanings behind it.

"It's okay," Jasmine replied, "I'm always up early anyway. I probably would have just been laying in bed."

Riku smiled and led her out of the apartment. "Perfect." When the pair were at the door and walking down the steps, Naminé rushed after them.

"Don't bring her back too soon, Riku!" she yelled.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. 'This girl has no sense of tact whatsoever.'

* * *

Jasmine unbuckled her seatbelt and sighed to herself as Riku got out of his sleek, attractive sports car. She secretly wondered how a college student could afford something like this when most were lucky to have anything that ran at all. This was just something she could add to the increasing list of things that just seemed too good to be true about the silver-haired young man.

Riku opened the door for her and shut it when she was out of the car. Jasmine did a complete turn. She'd never been to this part of the island before. There were so many cute shops along the seashore, fancy houses she only imagined being in magazines and beautiful tropical plants everywhere.

"I figured we could try someplace different than the usual places near campus," Riku stated, noticing Jasmine's awe.

Jasmine followed Riku as they entered the small, cozy café overlooking the boardwalk. "Well it's different alright," she mumbled under her breath when Riku opened the door for her and led her to a table outside. Jasmine had been so struck by the gorgeous scenery and elegant decorations that she hadn't even realized that they were already outside by a table with Riku pulling her chair out for her.

She blushed at the act. She'd never had a guy done that before except in movies. Jasmine quickly said "thank you" before taking a seat, Riku taking a seat once she was settled.

"Now see," Jasmine began nervously, "when you mentioned that you wanted coffee, I expected a walk to the campus or something."

Riku handed her a menu. "Well it's early, you probably haven't had breakfast yet," he reasoned, "I figured that we could do a little bit more than coffee."

In truth, Jasmine was very hungry. Under normal circumstances she would have gotten up and cooked herself something light to eat for herself and Naminé. However the thought of going out with Riku coupled with her chasing after Naminé early in the morning prevented her from doing so.

"That sounds good," she replied, setting her messenger bag next to her in the chair.

"Do you know what you want to drink?" He asked as he leaned back in his seat.

Jasmine pulled her lips together and her brows came together in concentration. She'd never been here before and the list of drinks was very, very long. "You know what," Jasmine cleared her throat, trying her hardest to relax, "I ordered for you back at my café, how about _you _pick something for _me_?"

Riku cocked an eyebrow up in amusement. "Trying to put the pressure on me?"

"No pressure," she responded lightly, "but then again you did the same thing to me at the restaurant. You can handle it," Jasmine placed her elbow on the arm of the wooden chair and cupped her chin in her hand.

The waiter came to the table and took the order. Riku ordered a simple black coffee and a tilapia dish with diced potatoes. The waiter turned to Jasmine and asked what she would like and Riku jumped in before she could even open her mouth.

"She'll have the same thing as me for breakfast," Riku instructed.

"And to drink?" the waiter scribbled down the order.

Riku stole a glance at Jasmine and he could see that she was waiting patiently for what he'd pick. He smirked before replying, "She'll have a mocha/caramel frappuccino, and make it extra sweet for her. I think she could use something to put a smile on her face today."

Jasmine's eyes widened and she leaned back, eyes drifting to the ocean to avoid Riku's triumphant gaze. 'Damn, he's good. I need to watch myself around him.'

* * *

After the wonderful meal, Riku paid for them and they left the café, taking a walk down the side steps and onto the boardwalk near the shore.

"That was actually very good," Jasmine admitted, feeling quite full from the meal. "How did you know what to get me?"

Riku stretched his arms out before shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well I overheard Naminé talking about how fish was your favorite food the morning we met."

She nodded then and shivered slightly. There was a cool breeze early this morning and while she was actually used to cooler weather, Jasmine was sometimes caught off guard by how nippy the island winds could be.

"And then," Riku continued, walking side by side with her, "you look like a girl who loves sweets."

Jasmine tilted her head forward and blushed slightly. "How could you tell?"

"Just a feeling," Riku replied. "Just a feeling."

"And what about you?" Jasmine asked, deciding to loosen up and make light conversation. "You don't strike me as a guy who likes a lot of sweet things."

Riku's eyes quickly fell on the artists painting along the boardwalk. "Foods? Not so much. People," he smiled down on Jasmine. "Yes."

Jasmine gripped the strap of her messenger bag tighter and found herself at a loss for words. 'Was he making a general reference? Was it a sly reference towards me? Oh I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking again.'

"So why did you come to this island for school?" Riku inquired casually. "Where are you from?"

"Oh!" Jasmine was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost missed the questions. "I'm originally from Twilight Town…I thought that I could use a change of scenery," she answered honestly while looking straight ahead.

"Don't you miss your family back home? Twilight Town is far away from what I've heard," Riku added.

Jasmine gave a sigh. "Well not really honestly." Riku was taken off guard by her bluntness and stared at her as they walked. "I talk to them every now and then but things are better here. Besides, I got to meet a lot of really nice people on this island. If I were to have stayed on Twilight Town and went to university there, things would have probably stayed the same."

Riku nodded a few times. "I can understand that."

"What about you?" It was Jasmine's turn to ask questions.

"Well I grew up on this island," Riku explained, "I've been here all my life. The university is one of the strongest with my major and I have a life here."

Jasmine took all this information in. "You do seem to know your way around here," she pointed out.

Riku laughed. "I've had twenty one years to figure it out so I guess living here works to my advantage."

Jasmine fell silent and wrapped a strand of stray hair around her ear.

"So how do you like the island so far? What about the university?"

Jasmine laughed and gave him an incredulous stare. "You sure do ask a lot of questions," she stated.

Riku caught himself and paused for a moment, an uncomfortable silence filling the air. "I'm sorry. Am I being too nosey?"

Jasmine immediately caught the remorse in Riku's voice and cursed herself. Sometimes she had a really hard time with not being so blunt. "Of course not," she tried to ease the new tension. "It's just that I don't really get asked a lot of questions like this a lot from someone who doesn't know me," she admitted bashfully.

Riku's calm, cool demeanor returned. "I guess I'm just curious…plus," he added, "I want to learn more about you. That's the honest truth."

A feeling she couldn't quite place began to well up inside of Jasmine. She and Riku walked for a little while longer without speaking to one another while she tried to sort everything out, only to come up clueless on what it was she was feeling.

"That's okay," she replied shyly. "You're being respectful about it. And besides, I actually like curious people who genuinely try to get to know others."

"Really now?" Riku and Jasmine were now walking extremely close to one another, their arms brushing as they continued.

"Uh huh," she smiled to herself, becoming a bit more at ease with Riku nearby. "That's the honest truth," Jasmine added slyly.

* * *

Jasmine's eyes widened and she turned to Riku. The two had been walking for quite a long time and decided to take a seat on a bench overlooking the ocean. "Really? I'm an only child too."

Riku reiterated his story once more. "My parents married pretty young and for whatever reason they just stopped at me."

"So I'm guessing you have a big family?"

Riku's silky silver hair was whipping in the wind. "Uh huh. So in a way it's like I have brothers and sisters. Sometimes I wish I had another sibling but I have a big family so it works out."

Jasmine kicked off her sandals and stuck her feet into the white sand underneath her feet. It was such a gorgeous day out today. Aside from the initial nervousness, Jasmine was actually having a good time with Riku. Not that she'd divulge too many details to Naminé for fear that the blond would try something else, but she would let her know that going out was actually a good idea.

"I still don't know how I could have not seen you on campus," she stated distantly. Riku gave her an inquisitive stare and she immediately responded. "You don't see too many guys walking around with silver hair, pale skin – and I only say that because you're an islander – at the university."

"Oh," Riku grinned. "I studied on Radiant Garden last semester and came back a little while ago. Plus I'm sure we lived in completely different dorms and had conflicting schedules. I always take night classes."

"That makes perfect sense," Jasmine pulled her feet out of the sand and then sat cross-legged on the bench with her attention on the flawless beach before her. "I'm a morning person. I don't function after three o'clock in the afternoon. Don't have the attention span."

Riku crossed his arms over his chest. "Ha, makes total sense now. I hate waking up before 10:30. Can't do it."

Jasmine reeled back and pursed her lips. "Wait, then why did you ask me out for coffee so early? You're the type of person to get out of bed around the crack of noon if anything."

There was a thick silence in the air from Riku's end and Jasmine immediately felt the conversation shift.

"When you left after breakfast Naminé told me that you were a morning person," Riku admitted.

Several thoughts ran through Jasmine's mind at this point. 'They were talking about me at breakfast? Seriously Naminé…And what else did they talk about? What else did she say about me? Oh no.' Her heart began to race and she felt her chest tighten.

"She also said that you were usually pretty busy so I figured that trying to hang out in the morning would work best since she told me that was your free time."

Many more thoughts and questions seemed to pop up but Jasmine decided to put them away for later when she had time to herself to mentally sort through everything.

Riku rose from his seat and glanced at his watch. "It's a little after 12."

Jasmine's eyes widened and she dug out her cell phone. Riku was right. They'd been walking around and talking for hours and she hadn't even noticed.

"I'm sure you've got stuff to do today. I can take you back now if you want," Riku offered.

Jasmine could see for the briefest moment a flicker of disappointment in Riku's eyes and instantly her mind piped up with protests. Truth be told she didn't have anything to do today as it was one of her rare free days. And if she was being more honest, Jasmine also didn't want her time with Riku to end.

She quickly glanced around the area and spotted a few restaurants nearby. Jasmine balled her fists and turned away while Riku was fishing for his keys, her heart thumping so hard inside of her chest.

"What are you going to do after this?" She asked.

Riku gave a shrug. "Probably go back to sleep," he admitted with a chuckle. "I didn't really have any plans for the day."

Jasmine chuckled, catching Riku off guard. She slipped on her flip flops and exhaled. 'Don't chicken out, don't chicken out…' she chanted mentally. "Well I was thinking…" she trailed off.

"About what?" Riku asked.

'Don't chicken out,' she repeated once more mentally. "Well since neither of us have plans for the rest of the day, and since you treated me to coffee and breakfast," Jasmine nudged her head over to the restaurants, "I figured that I could treat you for lunch if you wanted."

Riku was taken off guard and blinked. "Are you sure?"

Jasmine shrugged, hoping that she wouldn't lose this sudden spurt of courage. "Yeah I'm sure. Why?"

"I've taken up most of your morning," Riku responded, a slightly serious tone taking over.

"I wouldn't say that," Jasmine drawled out. "You make it sound like I'm doing something unpleasant. I'm actually having a good time."

"Really?" Riku's seriousness was slowly fading and a smile slowly crept across his face.

She nodded. "So what do you say?" Jasmine hoped that Riku wouldn't reject her offer. At this point in time, the young woman couldn't deal with rejection, no matter how mild it was.

"Lead the way," Riku placed a hand on her shoulder and once again Jasmine felt an electric current run through her entire body. It was as if there was something magical about Riku's touch and she had no idea why it affected her so.

But then again, Jasmine didn't want to question it.

At least, not now anyway.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Wow…I looked back on that last chapter and I realized that it was really really really really long. Ha I'm happy that so many of you decided to take a look at it and seemed to like it. I want to thank all those who read, faved, alerted and followed this story and give a special shoutout to my reviewers:

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**: I hope you liked the chapter. Ha yes. If I were to pair Roxas with any character, nine times out of ten it would be Naminé. They just mesh together. The only reason why I didn't pair them in my main stories is because they were related. Thank you for the review!

**Sookdeo**: Sorry the chapter was so long haha. I just needed to get a few things out of the way first before I could really move this story along. I'm glad that you enjoyed the breakfast scene so much. That was my favorite scene to write actually. That song could have worked too now that I think about it. The actual song I was thinking of was "Shake It Up" by Koda Kumi (who I absolutely adore – in fact when I did all the songs for Jasmine in the previous story, she was my inspiration for her but a more toned down version of course). Thank you for the review!

**animechick247**: I wish Riku was real too. You 're definitely not alone in this! Thank you so much for the review!

**hopefuldreamer1991**: I'm really happy that you like where this story is going right now. Yes, Jasmine is definitely more timid in this but there's a twist to it that you'll see in the last chapter. Thank you for the review!

Thank you guys so much for the reads and reviews. In addition I FINALLY updated Sins and an Absolution so if you have the time check it out! Tell me what you think and take care!


	4. Chapter 4

Tifa ordered another drink for herself and Naminé while Jasmine, who agreed to be the designated driver for the evening, sat back and enjoyed an iced tea at the bar of one of their favorite sports grills.

"I can't believe you and Roxas have been dating for so long," Tifa, whose face was flushed pink from the alcohol, said cheerfully. "I remember when you two first went out."

Naminé smiled madly while sipping on her margarita. "Me too. I'm so happy we have each other!"

Jasmine almost wanted to get out her cell phone and take embarrassing video clips of the blond as payback for her getting herself involved with pushing herself and Riku into spending time with one another. It was perfect. Naminé was a giggling, blushing, excited mess of a girl – something that was a rare sight. Usually it was the blond who wanted to allow her friends to drink but tonight she had a sudden change of heart and Jasmine was enjoying every second of it.

She reached in her pocket to capture a quick picture when she saw that she had a text message from Riku.

"Ooh! Is that your new boyfriend?" Naminé asked, leaning over the table to get a peek at Jasmine's phone.

Jasmine pulled back and gave Naminé a hard stare. "Who says I even got a text message from him?"

Naminé pointed a finger to Jasmine's face. "Oh come on now! You're definitely smiling! It has to be him!"

"How long have you two been going out?" Tifa asked calmly. Clearly she was more in control of herself under the influence of alcohol than Naminé was and could sense Jasmine's irritation.

"We've been hanging out for eight weeks or so," Jasmine made sure to stress the word "hanging" to make sure that she differentiated that with actually dating, which had romantic undertones. "There's nothing going on."

Tifa and Naminé rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Give me a break," Naminé drawled out dramatically. "You two definitely have the hots for each other."

"Did you just say "hots"?" Jasmine asked, giving her a look of disbelief.

"Uh, YEAH I did!" Naminé shouted back. "He's your super hot, super rich, super cool hunny-bunny and you need to acknowledge it!"

"Did you just say "hunny bunny"?"

Naminé growled. "Seriously Jasmine, you need to wake up and see what's going on in front of you."

Tifa poked Jasmine's arm. "Wait, he's rich?"

Jasmine gave a sigh of frustration. "This is why I don't let you drink," she directed this comment to Naminé, "I swear it's like word vomit with you."

Naminé placed her hand in front of Jasmine's face and explained. "Riku's mother owns a record company and his dad is a big time movie director. In fact, on his father's side of the family they have a whole string of successful directors and screenwriters. He's loaded!"

Jasmine facepalmed herself. Naminé was never allowed to drink like this ever again.

"Is it true Jasmine?" Tifa asked.

She confirmed this. "Yeah. He doesn't really like to talk about it a lot though but you can tell that his family comes from money." Jasmine rubbed her forearm, feeling slightly uncomfortable with their difference in class and status. "I feel kind of weird sometimes when I think about it."

Tifa pushed back the drink placed in front of her by the waiter. "So what are the other cons about Riku? I mean, you don't have to really worry about the wealth things so long as he isn't shoving it down your throat."

"I mean, there are some things that he just doesn't understand when we talk. Like, the guy has never really cooked for himself," Jasmine mentioned, still as in awe now as the day that Riku admitted this fact to her. "And he's a little cocky too – but it's not really that bad to be honest. It's just something I notice."

"But other than that, how do you feel about Riku as a whole?" It was clear that Tifa was trying to get to the bottom line of Jasmine's feelings towards Riku. Honestly it was obvious how she felt but Tifa wanted to confirm this by hearing the answer straight from Jasmine's mouth.

The dark-haired college junior sighed. Truth be told, she had a lot of fun hanging out with Riku. Sure she was still slightly annoyed and thrown off about her ex but with each passing day the pain was beginning to subside.

Jasmine sipped on her drink. "Well we do have our little arguments here and there."

Tifa listened on. "About what?"

"Little things," Jasmine started, finishing off her beverage, "sometimes it's about who gets to pay for things, other times it's about our different views and backgrounds."

Naminé laughed and elbowed Tifa. "He's not used to her bluntness and you know Jasmine has a specific brand of that."

Tifa smiled but held back her laughter. "I could definitely see that," she agreed. "You are pretty blunt."

Jasmine frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm _honest_," she corrected, "and at least I'm tactful about it."

Tifa acknowledged this fact. "Well that's true as well. And if all your arguments are miniscule then I'd say things are going smoothly."

"Jasmine even admitted that she has feelings for Riku," Naminé squealed loudly. "We're making serious progress here!"

Before Jasmine could properly yell at Naminé for outing her like this in public, she was held back when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked down she spotted a very familiar gloved hand and her face turned a light shade of red from embarrassment.

"Talking about me, are you?" Riku teased good-naturedly. "I hope it's good things."

Naminé spotted a familiar redhead and Riku's friend with the ridiculously spiky brown hair and waved to the trio that stood by their table at the restaurant. "Sora, Kairi! What are you guys doing here?"

Sora smiled and greeted everyone as did Kairi. "We were just out having fun and we spotted you guys as we passed by," he explained. "Woulda been rude, you know?"

After the greetings had passed, Sora turned his attention to Jasmine. "Hey Sis! Out with the coworkers?"

Tifa blinked and stared at Jasmine. "Sis?"

Jasmine shrugged but smiled slightly. "No idea why he calls me that to be honest."

Sora then wrapped an arm around Jasmine's shoulders and grinned. "It's because you're Riku's girl now," this caused Jasmine to freeze up, "he's like my big brother and so by default you're now my sister."

'I'm Riku's…girl?' Jasmine tried to wrap her mind around the idea but it just sounded so foreign to her. 'Does he consider us together? Are we exclusive? Do _I _consider us as exclusive?'

"Are you guys staying?" Tifa asked. "We can grab a bigger table," she offered.

"No that's okay," Kairi politely declined the offer. "We were just passing through. We're going to Sora's house to hang out with our families."

"That sounds nice," Jasmine commented. 'So it really is true.' Riku had explained to her once that he and Sora had practically been friends since birth because of their parents. Then, when they were about five Kairi moved to the island from Radiant Garden and the trio had been inseparable ever since. It was refreshing to see such a strong bond of friendship. In these times a friendship like theirs was extremely rare.

Once the rest of the group was consumed with their own conversation, Riku pulled Jasmine aside so that they could talk in private. Jasmine agreed and dismissed herself discretely and was led to the front of the restaurant.

"Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Jasmine mentally went through her schedule and it seemed like she was free throughout the whole day. "Nothing…why what's going on?" She folded her arms over her chest.

Riku smiled then and Jasmine had to force herself to relax. She never could figure out what it was about his smile that sent her heart into a frenzy. "Well I was hoping that you would be free. My parents are coming to visit me and they wanted to meet you."

Jasmine's stomach dropped to the floor. "Your parents?" She asked sheepishly.

"Yeah," Riku replied, noticing the look of fear on her face. "They wanted to have lunch tomorrow afternoon and wanted to know if you could come."

Jasmine shifted her weight on another foot. There was no way she could get out of this, especially with her admitting that she was free all day tomorrow. 'His parents? He's been talking about me?' Jasmine had only briefly mentioned Riku once to her mother and father and that was ONLY because they'd asked about her ex-boyfriend. "That's pretty serious," she stated, trying to hide her discomfort.

Riku chuckled, "Well I kinda want to be exclusive and I think that you meeting my parents would prove it."

'He wants to be exclusive? He wants to date me? Only me?'

"What do you think about it? How do you feel?"

"About what exactly?" Jasmine wanted to be very careful about how she answered his questions and wanted to make sure that they were both on the same page and wanted the same things.

Riku leaned closer to Jasmine and lowered his voice. "One: I want to be exclusively dating you and hoped that you felt the same way."

Jasmine's breathing stopped for a brief moment and she shifted her gaze to the floor to avoid his stare. It almost seemed too good to be true. How could someone like Riku possibly take interest in her? He was tall, he was intelligent, he was confident and he was incredibly gorgeous. It was as if a guy like him only existed in dreams which was why Jasmine struggled with the whole situation. But still, she couldn't deny her feelings and attraction to Riku. If this was a dream, she was going to ride it out as long as humanly possible.

With as much courage as she could muster, Jasmine lifted her head and locked eyes with Riku. "I don't want to be dating anyone else either," she replied softly. Jasmine paused, bit her lip and then sighed. "What time should I be ready?"

Riku grinned and pulled Jasmine's hair out of her face. "I'll pick you up around 11:30. I'll text you the restaurant when I get home. Usually my parents like to go to the beach too – just a heads up."

"No problem," she told him, nodding her head.

Riku peered over his shoulder and saw that Sora and Kairi were heading to the front, meaning that they were about to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Before Jasmine could wish her goodbyes, Riku bent down and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling back. After the act, Jasmine breathed "wow" and squeezed her hands tightly into fists, a nervous habit she'd always had that seemed to resurface moreso now that she was officially with Riku.

"See you later Jasmine," Kairi said, giving Jasmine a hug on her way out with Sora.

The spiky-haired youth gave Jasmine a squeeze as well as he left the restaurant with Riku falling behind. Before he left he looked back over his shoulder at Jasmine, giving her one of his earthshaking smirks with Jasmine returning it with one of her own.

"We saw that!" Naminé shouted loudly with Tifa cheering loudly in the background.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and rested her hands on her hips. "Oh of course you did," she shook her head and walked back to the table, preparing herself for the sure to be barrage of questions. "Of course you did."

* * *

Naminé poked her head into Jasmine's room and whistled, startling Jasmine. "You look nice!" she cheered, dashing into the room and taking a seat on the edge of Jasmine's bed. While the ebony-haired girl slipped on a pair of diamond hoop earrings, Naminé gave her outfit a thumbs up of approval. "Perfect for meeting the parents!"

Jasmine gave a small smile, trying her hardest to fight the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Deciding to play it safe, Jasmine wore a white, sleeveless high collared shirt tucked a royal purple high waist skirt that flared out with a pair of gold sandals with a tall stiletto heel. After all, the restaurant they were going to was one of the nicest ones on the island. She wanted to impress his parents as well as dress appropriate for the location.

Naminé hopped off the bed and helped Jasmine with her now-curled hair, pinning it to one side and allowing the curls to fall over one shoulder. "You'll be fine," she said in a calm comforting manner.

"I'm not used to this," Jasmine spoke, allowing Naminé to work on her hair while Jasmine applied her eyeliner.

The blond searched for another bobby pin and slipped two into her mouth. "You're hair's so thick," she commented to herself. "But this is a good thing! A girl like you should be out dating and having a good time. Besides, you're his girlfriend now. You're _supposed_ to meet his parents. That's how these things work."

Jasmine gave a sour look as she applied her mascara. "I didn't meet _his_ parents," she grumbled bitterly.

Naminé finished with Jasmine's hair and huffed. "Well you ex is a jerk who didn't deserve your time. You've moved onto bigger and better things."

In that moment, Jasmine looked at herself in the mirror and paused when she set the tube of mascara back into her makeup case. She stared at her reflection for a good few seconds before Naminé set her hands on her shoulders.

"Jasmine?" Her voice was laced with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Jasmine replied. The anticipation of Riku's arrival stirred up old and new feelings within her that she'd never truly experienced before which excited her and frightened her at the same time. "It's weird…"

Naminé leaned against Jasmine's vanity. "What's weird…"

Jasmine allowed her words to flow from her lips without so much as a thought. "It's strange. I've only known Riku for about two months but there's something different about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I know it's only been a short time and I won't lie: I definitely tried to suppress my feelings for him. Partially because I didn't believe that I guy like him would be interested in a girl like me, and partially because I was still hurt. But I don't think I've ever felt this way about a guy before. I can't describe it. It's like everything is just so…_natural_ with us. I don't have to think as much or hold back. I don't know what this is, Nam."

Naminé's eyes widened with realization. Jasmine had always been so calculated and logical. There were few times when she'd actually witnessed her friend approach a situation with her heart instead of her mind. And now, to hear her speak so freely about her emotions…

Instead of telling her what it was she was experiencing, Naminé decided to leave well enough alone and let her figure it out on her own.

The doorbell rang and Naminé rushed to get it while Jasmine stuffed her cell phone, wallet and a pair of flip flops into her medium sized clutch bag.

"Jasmine!" Naminé cried. "Riku's here!"

Making sure to reach for her keys before she left, Jasmine exhaled.

When she spotted Riku in the entryway talking to Naminé, she instantly became nervous all over again like the day when she ran into him at the restaurant. Riku, like Jasmine, came dressed for the occasion and sported a well fitted navy suit minus the tie, dress shoes and, of course, his trademark gloves.

'This boy in a suit, my God,' she swooned, trying to mask her emotions.

Riku greeted Jasmine warmly by taking her into an embrace and kissing her cheek. "You look great," he complemented her, giving her quick once over.

"You too," she whispered.

Naminé was quick to hurry them out the door. "Come on you guys. You have a lunch date with the folks to get to!" Riku laughed and opened the door for Jasmine.

"We'll be fine," Riku waved. "Bye Naminé."

"Call me when you're on your way!" She shouted to Jasmine who gave a nod of understanding. Once Naminé shut the door behind them, Riku held Jasmine's hand and led her down the stairs.

"My parents couldn't wait to meet you so they drove," Riku told her, pointing to the gorgeous, silver sports car sitting in Jasmine's driveway near her motorcycle.

Jasmine's jaw nearly unhinged. She could have sworn that she'd seen that exact car in a magazine once and from what she remembered it had to be worth over one hundred thousand dollars. 'So this is what real money can buy,' she thought, tensing up.

When the doors to the car opened, out came a couple. The first to exit the vehicle was a man who looked almost identical to Riku (save for shorter silver hair) and a short woman with milky white skin, long dirty blond hair reaching her elbows and startling pale green eyes.

Once Riku and Jasmine were near the car he held Jasmine's hand and introduced her to his parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Jasmine."

Riku's mother, who was dressed to impress herself in a pale pink dress with matching blazer and tall silver pumps rushed up to Jasmine and embraced the girl tightly, forcing Jasmine to bend down from their obvious height difference.

"Call me Angela," Riku's mother instructed. When she pulled back she held onto Jasmine's hands and gave a smile of approval, glancing at her son. "She's so pretty!"

Jasmine blushed and thanked Riku's mother for the gracious complement, turning her attention to Riku's father. It was quite clear to Jasmine that this must have been where Riku got the majority of his looks from.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jasmine." Riku's father extended his hand and Jasmine took it, giving it a strong shake. "You can call me Ryo."

Not sure how to feel about being so personal with Riku's parents, she simply nodded.

Angela jumped and clasped her hands together. "Great! Now let's get out of here so we can eat. I'm starving."

'Everyone in this family is gorgeous,' Jasmine thought, trying her best to keep from gawking at the sheer beauty that ran in his family. 'No wonder he looks like a model. His parents are so hot.'

Once his parents took the front seats, Riku held open the door for Jasmine to enter. But before she sat down, he grabbed her elbow and whispered into her ear. "They're going to love you."

When Jasmine was in and fastened her seatbelt, she sighed and rested her clutch in her lap. 'I certainly hope so.'

* * *

As the foursome finished their meal, they chatted amongst each other. Riku was not lying when he said that the restaurant they were going to be dining at was fancy. She'd heard about the restaurant once from Naminé when the two of them were on their lunch break at work. This new restaurant _358 Days_ was the newest seafood restaurant to open up on the Destiny Islands and was known all over for their fine dining and gorgeous tropic island scenery. However, this restaurant was generally reserved for the wealthy and affluent and was a place Jasmine never thought she'd be able to go to. Now here she was, at this gorgeous place with her new boyfriend and his fabulously beautiful, wealthy, and kind parents.

It was like a dream.

"So you attend university with Riku," Angela asked Jasmine. "What's your major?"

Jasmine pushed back her plate and smiled in satisfaction. The food was as delicious as the restaurant was beautiful. To top it off they all elected for table outside right above the ocean. "I'm a third year psychology major," she responded.

"Very nice," Angela then proceeded to order champagne for the entire table. "Do you drink, dear?"

Not wanting to seem like the type of girl to drink on a regular basis (which was not a good look for her first time out with Riku's parents), Jasmine answered with, "A little bit."

"Perfect," she told the waiter to have a wine Jasmine was completely unfamiliar with brought to the table and he disappeared in a flash. "How do you like the island? Riku told me that you're from Twilight Town."

Jasmine folded her hands in her lap. "I love it here. I've always wanted to live near the ocean. Granted, I love Twilight Town but this place is like a dream."

Ryo turned his attention to Jasmine. "What are your hobbies? Riku told me that you like to sing."

Jasmine's face flushed red while Riku chuckled. The only thing going through Jasmine's mind was her singing at that lounge only by way of the liquid courage. "I-I really don't sing that much."

Riku rolled his eyes. "She's a singer," he told his parents. "When a few of us were out, I walked in on her singing. She had the entire crowd on their feet cheering for her."

Angela cocked a dirty blond eyebrow. "Oh really now?"

Jasmine lightly elbowed Riku. "It wasn't like that," she quickly added.

Riku instantly dismissed her comment. "She's being shy."

Once the waiter brought the champagne to the table everyone took their own individual glasses.

"You'll have to sing for me one day, Jasmine," Angela told her, leaning over with interest sparkling in her beautiful green eyes.

Jasmine's mouth opened and closed, fear instantly taking hold of her. Before she could even answer the waiter tapped on Jasmine's shoulder and asked for her identification to see if she was old enough to drink. Jasmine fished into her wallet and produced the ID. Once he verified her age, he gave her a smile. "Thank you, Miss Faye."

Riku blinked and when the ID was passed back to Jasmine he took it from her. Sure enough, the first name on the card read "Faye" with "Jasmine" being her middle name. "I didn't realize that Faye was your first name."

Jasmine took back her ID and slipped it back into her wallet. "Yeah. Everyone just calls me Jasmine. Even my parents."

Ryo placed his arms on the rests of the chair. "Why is that?"

"I have no idea," she lightly chuckled, "my father sometimes calls me that but I mostly hear it when I'm in trouble."

Angela and Ryo both laughed at this. "Well what would you like us to call you, dear?" Angela asked.

Jasmine gave a slight shrug. "Whichever you prefer," she replied.

"Well I'm going to start calling you Faye from now on," Riku told her, flashing a smile.

"It really is a pretty name," Angela told her. "It suits you."

Jasmine thanked everyone for the complements and relaxed. When Riku's parents turned to each other, Riku placed his hand on Jasmine's knee and whispered into her ear. "I told you they'd love you. Looks like you're going to have to get used to me calling you by your real name, Faye."

For some reason, Jasmine's first name seemed almost melodic when it rolled off Riku's tongue and she accepted his proposal. "That's absolutely fine with me."

* * *

Like Riku had mentioned before, once their meal was done Riku's mother proposed a walk along the beach. While Riku and his father walked ahead of them on the boardwalk, Angela pulled Jasmine aside and asked her to take a walk with her along the coast. With their shoes in hand, the women talked and joked amongst each other.

"It really is a gorgeous day out," Jasmine thought out loud as she took in the sight of the perfect white sand, the rocks along the cliff and the crystal clear ocean waters.

"It really is," Angela agreed. Even without their high heels on Jasmine still towered over Angela. "Faye?"

Jasmine turned her head to acknowledge Riku's mother. "Yes?"

"I'm so glad I got the chance to meet you," she told her warmly. "I've been looking forward to it for a while now."

"Really?" Jasmine's face was a mask of shock.

Angela replied, "Yes," and brushed her hair back behind her shoulders. "Riku has been talking about you for a while. He told me that he'd met this gorgeous girl on the train and that he'd been dying to meet her."

Jasmine wrapped her arms around herself, something she always did subconsciously out of embarrassment. "I never knew he paid that much attention."

The blond-haired woman smiled. "Riku is very observant and attentive. You should have seen his excitement when he told me that you agreed to see him."

"Riku? Excited?" Jasmine was in disbelief. "Riku always comes off as so calm, cool and collected."

"That's true," Angela kicked her feet in the sand. "But trust me, he was over the moon. I don't think he's ever been this excited about someone ever. And trust me, he's been with his fair share of girls but none of them hold a candle to you."

While it initially hurt to hear that Riku had been involved with several women this did not shock Jasmine. "It makes sense. He's so handsome," she trailed off.

"What about you dear? How many relationships have you been in?"

Jasmine inhaled and focused her attention on the beach in front of her. "Not that many real relationships to be honest. There were always interests here and there but things either never materialized or they were superficial."

"How long ago was your last real relationship?" Angela inquired curiously.

This struck a chord in Jasmine. She tried not to let the burning memory of her ex disappearing on the train completely consume her but there was still pain there.

Angela quickly caught on and apologized. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to stir up any memories."

"No no," Jasmine quickly said to Angela. "It's not you." She blew out a breath of exhaustion and locked her hands around her arms. "My last relationship ended a little over a month before I met Riku."

Angela was hesitant now, not wanting to upset Jasmine further. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"That's the thing," Jasmine said distantly, her voice becoming lost in the wind. "I really don't know." She paused here and slowed her pace which Angela easily matched. "There were no warning signs. I came home one day to find a letter saying that he was leaving and that he'd been holding back for the entirety of our six month relationship. I went to find him to figure out what happened but I was too late and he just vanished."

Angela's jaw dropped and she grabbed Jasmine's hand. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry."

Jasmine smiled ruefully, the memory becoming more and more vivid. "It's alright. The strange thing is that I always knew that there was some distance there but I chose to ignore it. I blame myself for not following my gut."

Angela and Jasmine walked in silence with the older woman staring at her husband and son who were laughing and joking with one another up ahead. "It's his loss," Angela's voice hardened, disgusted with the unknown young man who hurt Jasmine, "and he's a coward for running away like that. It's inexcusable." She paused and squeezed Jasmine's hand tighter. "You're beautiful, intelligent, elegant, witty and have a wonderful personality. I feel bad for him because I doubt he'll find anyone better."

Jasmine was taken back by Angela's gracious complements. "Thank you, Angela…"

Sensing Jasmine's embarrassment she laughed. "And you're so humble too. That's what makes you even more beautiful. There are tons of girls out there who are pretty and attractive but they overcompensate and their personalities don't line up, thus making them incredibly unattractive. Well…to me at least. Perhaps that's why Riku is so smitten with you."

Jasmine remained silent and took in all that Angela had said, stealing a glance at Riku in the meantime.

"As for your ex," Angela grumbled, "sometimes people just do things like that – disappear I mean. In situations like these it's not your fault that they chose to leave in that fashion. It's easy to want to blame yourself but sometimes you just have to realize that some people aren't fit to be in relationships and that they're good at hurting others, which causes those hurt souls to become bitter and want to hurt others out of revenge and hopelessness.

"Sometimes, you just have to try and let those things go with time and move forward. Realizing your self-worth and knowing that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel – excuse the cliché – is the first step towards healing. Progress and happiness will come. You just have to keep believing and trying your best for all that to come."

Jasmine's heart was filled with warmth upon hearing Angela's words of wisdom and she couldn't help but smile.

"At least," Angela added, swinging Jasmine's hand, "that's what I like to believe. Sometimes all it takes is a little faith. Who knows where you'll end up or who you'll end up with."

Jasmine gave a meaningful "thank you" and held on tighter to Angela's hand, not wanting to let go. It made complete sense why Riku was the way he is now. He had two wonderful parents guiding him who were both so very wise and kind and caring. His personality was not just something that came out of nowhere. This was something that was taught.

Riku and his father waved to the two of them and they stopped, allowing Jasmine and Angela to catch up.

Once Angela and Jasmine were close, Ryo made a motion to his watch. "We have to get home and prepare for tonight."

"Of course!" Angela exclaimed. "Look at us. We were so busy talking that we lost track of time. We'll take you guys back now."

Riku's hand took the place of Angela's. "You ready?"

"Yes I am," she nodded. Jasmine reached into her clutch to grab her shoes while Riku's parents started onward. However, Riku didn't allow this. Instead, Riku stopped Jasmine, quickly placed one arm around her shoulders to steady her and placed another under her legs, hoisting her into the air and carrying her in his arms bridal style.

"Riku!" Jasmine blushed. "What are you doing?"

Riku began walking towards his parents, seemingly unfazed by her weight. "I'm carrying you," he deadpanned.

"You don't have to," she protested. "Really its fine."

"Ha, I know I don't _have _to. I do it because I want to," Riku explained, planting a kiss on Jasmine's cheek. She stared up at him incredulously, her heart swelling with that same emotion she'd felt earlier with Naminé. However it was much stronger this time. Instead of fighting with him (like she normally would) Jasmine fell silent and rested against Riku and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enjoying the walk in complete peace.

Ryo tapped his wife's shoulder and pointed to the couple behind him. "Look at that."

Angela did as Ryo asked and burst into a grin from ear to ear. It was quite clear from looking into the couple's eyes what they were feeling for one another even if they hadn't noticed it themselves.

"So what do you think?" Ryo asked, taking his wife's hand.

Angela's smile only grew bigger. "I think I'm going to have to stop calling her "Faye" and start calling her "daughter" instead."

Ryo's eyes widened and he laughed. "You think so?"

"I know so," she replied proudly. "Just give it time and you'll see." Angela stole one last look at Riku and Jasmine. "You can't fake _that_ kind of emotion. Nope. Not in a million years."

* * *

"Are you sure you aren't busy?" Riku asked Jasmine for the millionth time as he popped in another DVD for them to watch. Even though his parents brought him back around three and the lunch date was officially over, Riku and Jasmine decided to stay together and hung out at his place. He glanced at his cell phone and realized that it was almost eight o'clock at night.

Jasmine was sitting on his sofa and casually waved him off. "I told you already that I'm free. You just have to kick me out when you're sick of me."

"Not likely," Riku mumbled under his breath as he started the new movie.

"What was that?" Jasmine asked, brushing down her skirt to make sure that it wasn't riding up. While Riku offered to take her home hours ago to change, Jasmine declined and stated that she was comfortable in what she was wearing and Riku remained in his clothes as well sans the blazer.

"Nothing," he replied quickly, taking a seat next to her on the couch. While the credits rolled Jasmine kept her attention on the screen while Riku's attention was on Jasmine. "I told you they'd love you."

Jasmine folded her hands in her lap. "I'm glad they like me," she exhaled.

Riku reeled back, confusion clear on his face. "They have no reason to _not _like you. You shouldn't worry too much. You're the kind of girl that parents love."

Not knowing what to say, Jasmine smiled softly and stared at the carpet.

"What are you doing way over there?" Riku asked, sounding almost insulted.

"Huh?" Jasmine was genuinely confused.

Rolling his eyes, Riku grabbed Jasmine by the waist and (with the same ease he demonstrated earlier) he slipped her into his lap. Riku reached on the table nearby and draped a thick quilted blanket around the two of them. Under normal circumstances Jasmine would have protested against this and found the situation improper. But, for the first time in ages she silenced her logic and followed her emotions, eventually falling into a peaceful sleep against Riku's chest.

* * *

Jasmine awoke with a start and shot up. The television screen was stuck on the main menu and the background music played softly. Frantic, she searched for her cell phone and woke Riku up in the process.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" He asked, clearly concerned for Jasmine in her frantic state. When Jasmine found her phone she discovered that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning.

"It's so late. I should get going," Jasmine stood up and searched for her sandals, mumbling incoherent things to herself.

"You sure?" Riku asked, watching her run around the living room like a madwoman while rubbing his eyes.

"It's so late. I need to get home."

Riku rose and stretched. "Do you have somewhere to be tomorrow?"

"No, but I've stayed too long," she answered. While Jasmine continued to gather her things Riku watched her and only after she finished picking up her belongings did he speak.

"You can spend the night if you want."

Jasmine nearly dropped her phone upon hearing his proposal and she turned around slowly, her eyes wide. "What?"

Riku was dead serious. "It's late, we're both tired. You can spend the night if you want. I can walk you home if you really need to get home."

While Jasmine was reluctant at first given Riku's solution but when she realized that she'd rather be with him, all thoughts of going home subsided. She set her belongings (minus her phone) back down on the couch. "I'll stay."

With that decided, Riku asked for Jasmine to stay where she was and he disappeared into his bedroom. When Riku returned, he came back with a dark blue dress shirt that was too big for Jasmine but too small for him. "You can sleep in this. I can get you shorts if you want…" He stared at her waist. "Although I'm sure that anything I have will probably be too big for you."

"That's fine," she then thanked Riku and excused herself to his bathroom to change.

Jasmine stared at her reflection in the mirror and slowly began undressing herself. 'I can't believe I'm here. This feels like a dream…' Once she stripped herself of her clothing, Jasmine slipped on Riku's shirt. He was right with the size. On him it would have probably been too small but for Jasmine it was a perfect fit. Slightly loose (which she liked) and it stopped halfway up her thigh.

She yawned. With the day's activities Jasmine could honestly say that she was truly tired. Lucky for her, this day was full of pleasant activities as opposed to her usual days which consisted of studying, work, and classes. Jasmine removed all the pins from her hair and allowed the curls to fall into loose waves that slowly came undone throughout the day. She slipped them into the pocket of her skirt and walked out into the living room to find Riku with a blanket and pillow.

"You can take the bed if you want. I can sleep out here if it makes you more comfortable," Riku told her.

"But it's your bed," she protested. "If anyone should be out here it would be me."

Riku scoffed and threw himself on the couch. "My father would kick my ass if he knew I made a girl sleep on the couch while I was in the bed. You're fine."

Jasmine set her folded clothes down beside the couch on the floor and bit her lip, hoping that her courage would last her just a little while longer.

She leaned over the couch, holding her hair back. "Come with me. Please?"

If Riku was at all reluctant or hesitant, he was hiding it very well. He let the thought roll around in his head for a few seconds before he turned off the tv, grabbed Jasmine's hand and led her to the bedroom.

Only the moonlight lit the room but Jasmine could quite clearly make out her surroundings. Riku's room, as was all the rooms that came with the single apartments on campus, was huge. Like she had imagined, it was neat compared to most of the other boys' rooms she'd seen throughout her years in the co-ed dorms and everything was a deep blue like the shirt she was wearing.

Riku shut the door behind him and the pair walked on over to the bed. For Jasmine though, everything seemed to move slower than normal as she climbed into his bed and her heartbeat was so loud that it was practically ringing in her ears.

"Did you have fun?" He asked, lying flat on his back with his eyes glued to the ceiling.

"I did," Jasmine rolled over on his side to face him. "It was a lot of fun."

"Well good," a smile spread across his face.

More silence followed with Jasmine holding her hand to her heart. She didn't know what to say but she felt that she should be saying something. Anything would do at this point to avoid the silence.

"Faye," Riku opened his eyes and rolled over to face her.

"Yes, Riku?" It never ceased to amaze Jasmine at how beautiful her name sounded when Riku said it.

"Are you happy?"

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a look similar to one of a confused puppy. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Riku pulled Jasmine closer and she was now lying partially on his toned chest (which she only noticed because he had changed into a tank top and a pair of basketball shorts). "Are you happy with our relationship?"

Jasmine batted her eyelashes and rested her free hand on his shoulder, trailing down until her hand stopped right above his heart. In that moment, Jasmine realized something: Riku's heart was beating just as fast and as hard as hers was. "Of course," she whispered, finding herself lost once more in his perfect blue eyes while he focused on hers. "I wouldn't change a thing. I'm happy here. Why do you ask?"

Riku didn't answer right away. Instead he brushed her hair off her face, leaving his hand on her cheek while his thumb traced along her jawline. "Just curious, that's all," he replied. "I just wanted to know what you thought about everything. I know we haven't really dated very long – or even known each other for very long as a matter of fact – and I wanted to know how you felt about me."

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Jasmine leaned in even closer to Riku and now their foreheads were touching. "I'm really happy here and I care about you a lot. As long as you want me here, I'm not going to take off."

"Promise?"

Jasmine nodded. "I promise."

Before she knew it, Riku had taken hold of Jasmine's face and their lips collided for a slow, passionate, steady kiss. Every part of Jasmine's body became alive with the action and instead of her allowing her thoughts to dictate her, she slipped back in a more natural mindset where she just let things happen as they came.

Soon Riku let go himself and allowed the hand that was on her cheek to freely roam her body, being careful not to cross the line. Jasmine on the other hand decided to take more control and held his face, deepening the kisses and eventually trailing down from his lips, to his cheek, his jawline and eventually to his neck where she planted endless butterfly kisses all the way down to his collarbone.

When they both came up for air, Riku smiled, planted one last kiss on Jasmine's lips and held her close.

"Is it wrong for me to say "I love you"?" He asked cautiously.

Jasmine's chest tightened, never before imagining that something like this could happen to someone like her. She, like Riku, held on tight and buried her face in his chest. "No, not at all…because I'm sure I love you too."

Without another word from Jasmine, Riku pulled the covers tight over them and watched as Jasmine slipped into a deep peaceful sleep. He gave her one last kiss on her forehead and he too drifted off into a deep, restful, blissful sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note**: How's that for fluff? Haha I think this is probably the fluffiest thing I've written in all my years. I hope you guys liked it. Please tell me what you think! Again, sorry for the lengthy chapter. I had to get a lot of things out into the air before I worked on the final (yes) chapter of "Perfect Blue".

Thanks for all the support everyone! I want to thank those who read, faved, alerted, followed and all that good stuff as well as the reviewers.

**hopefuldreamer1991: **I'm so glad you can identify with this story. I really hope you liked the new chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu: **Haha this is hard for me to comprehend too (all this light with no dark). Going from a horror writer and then to this fluff is so strange. My friends who know me are saying "you've grown soft" haha. I'm so happy you like this story so much. I just hope you like the new chapter! Thanks for the review!

**Sarah K.R: **thanks a bunch! I hope you liked the new chapter. And yes teehee Naminé is QUITE the meddler. Thanks for the support and take care!

**Sweet rain and poetic justice: **Thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you like the story.

**animechick247: **Right? I want breakfast with Riku too! I hope you liked the new chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Sookdeo: **Oh haha I see. Maybe I got ahead of myself. He sounds gorgeous. That's for sure. Well haha Jasmine was curious about Riku from the jump. She was just too scared to do it because she was intimidated by him.I hope you liked the new chapter and thanks for the review!

**Krajesh: **I'm glad you like my OC thus far. I just hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!

Once again thanks for the constant support guys. Also the newest chapter of Sins and an Absolution has been updated so check it out if you're free! Let me know what you all think and take care!


	5. Chapter 5

Naminé pulled open the door and her eyes widened when she saw Riku and Roxas standing at her doorstep. "Didn't expect to see you guys here…"

Roxas and Riku's expressions were quite grave with Riku standing off to the side with a less than pleased expression on his face. Immediately realizing what the issue was, Naminé ushered the two inside and locked the door behind them.

"How are you two?" Naminé asked, offering them both a seat at the dining room table.

Roxas gave a rueful smile. "I'm okay. But…" he nodded his head in Riku's direction.

Naminé rested her hands in her lap, a saddened expression on her face. "What's going on?" She asked as if she didn't already know the answer to this question.

Riku sighed. "Where is she?"

'Jasmine…' Naminé made a motion to the bedroom in back. "She's asleep right now, Riku. She's been out of it for the past few days."

"Yeah I know," he mumbled under his breath.

Roxas decided to take control of the conversation. "Is she alright? We've had a hard time trying to reach her for three days. Is she sick or something?"

Naminé opened her mouth and then dropped her head, squeezing the hem of her white dress. "She's not sick exactly. But she's not exactly okay either."

Riku turned around and held his hands out on the table, crystal clear blue eyes filled with deep concern and worry. "Naminé, what happened? I know you know what's been going on. She hasn't really been answering my calls, my texts, anything."

The blond looked to Roxas for help but he was unable to assist her. Truth be told Roxas knew more than he initially let on but seeing as it was Naminé who had all the pieces of the puzzle it would be best to let her explain the situation.

"Remember when I told you Selphie came over the other day?" She started with a question just to get them talking.

Riku and Roxas nodded their heads. "Yeah," Riku said. "Kairi told me that Selphie came by to visit."

Naminé stretched her arms out and leaned on the table, resting her elbow on the table with her chin cupped in her small hand. "And I don't know if you know about Jasmine's ex…" she trailed off, directing this towards Riku.

Riku ran a hand through his silky hair. "We don't really talk about it honestly."

"I'm not surprised. Well, Selphie came over with a bit of bad news…"

* * *

Jasmine and Naminé greeted the bubbly brunette when she was invited over. Selphie needed to buy a book from Naminé since school was going to start up again in less than a month and everyone was switching from summer mode to school mode.

Naminé and Selphie sat at the dining room table while Jasmine stood in the kitchen washing dishes, whistling something to herself.

"Thanks a lot, Naminé!" Selphie thanked the girl and bowed her head, coming up with a large smile. "The book online was almost two hundred! I'm getting it at a steal!"

The blond handed Selphie the book and gave a small smile. "No problem. I think everyone gets ripped off when they shop online from the university bookstore. I don't need it so why not give it to someone else who does?"

Selphie handed Naminé a small yellow envelope with money inside of it. "You're a real life-saver Nam."

"No worries," Naminé had pulled her hair back into a low-hanging ponytail and sighed. "What are you doing after this?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I have to go to work for an extra shift in the counseling office."

Naminé then asked, "Why do you need to work an extra shift?"

Selphie leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Well," she drawled up, "one of my coworkers is pregnant and she's not coming in."

"Is it a faculty member?"

Selphie shook her head and lifted an index finger. "Nope! A student!"

Naminé's jaw dropped and she racked her brain in an attempt to figure out who it could be. There were only a few students who worked in the counseling office and the rest were licensed psychologists and counselors. Clearly it wasn't Selphie, and there was no way that it could be their mutual friend Olette so it had to have been…

"Larxene?" Naminé half-shouted.

Selphie shook her head fervently. "Bingo! Supposedly she's having a baby boy."

As much as Naminé hated gossip, she couldn't quite help herself with Larxene. The short-haired blond with the sour attitude and semi-permanent scowl always spoke ill of others and made fun of her peers. Now to hear of this, well, Naminé just couldn't let Selphie leave without giving at least the bare minimum of details.

"So is she leaving school?"

"Who knows?" Selphie replied. "I don't know what she's doing now and whatever choice she makes – whether she keeps the child or not is completely up to her – but apparently it was quite a big deal."

Naminé looked back over her shoulder to see Jasmine focused on cleaning the kitchen. With the water running it was quite possible that Jasmine wouldn't be able to hear the conversation.

"I heard," Selphie continued on, "that she was dating someone who had a girlfriend."

A look of disgust washed over Naminé's face. "Did she know that the guy was in a relationship?"

Selphie rolled her bright green eyes dramatically. "Yeah she did. I overheard her one day when I was in the back helping a student fill out forms on one of our desktops. She was practically gloating about it! Said something like "well a guy leaves and cheats on his own" and then things like "if he was happy he wouldn't have cheated". Ugh it makes me sick."

"I hate it when guys and girls do that. Honestly everyone is wrong with that," she added.

"I agree whole-heartedly! Supposedly the guy left town for a while with her too. Heard they ran off to Hollow Bastion for a good part of the summer."

Suddenly, a wave of dread washed over Naminé. This story was starting to sound dangerously familiar…

Naminé hesitated before she asked her next question. Her mind told her to let the story drop but her heart told her that she needed to know the truth. "Selphie, what was the guy's name?"

"Huh?"

"The guy who hooked up with Larxene?"

Naminé was practically on pins and needles. "Yes. His name. What's his name?"

"Oh!" Selphie exclaimed. "His name is Vanitas and he went to school here with us."

Everything stopped for Naminé and her face became deathly pale while her stomach dropped.

A loud crash came from the kitchen and broke Naminé from her thoughts.

Naminé whipped her head around to see Jasmine from behind, completely frozen in place, the water running noisily. She jumped to her feet and both her and Selphie ran to the kitchen to see the remnants of a glass bowl around Jasmine's feet.

"Oh my gosh," Naminé gasped, rushing to help clean up the mess before anyone hurt themselves. 'She heard everything…'

Sora's eyes were wide. "Are you serious? So her ex cheated on her AND got some other girl pregnant?"

Naminé's expression was grim. "That's what Selphie told me. I thought that Jasmine couldn't hear me with the water running. She was whistling too. But she heard _everything_."

* * *

She then turned her attention to Riku who was fuming. He didn't say a word and he didn't have to. His thoughts and feelings were as clear as his eyes were blue.

"I don't want to say too much because I think that you two should talk about it but I'll tell you this much," Naminé coughed a couple of times before continuing, "her ex just up and left without any real reason and if you know Jasmine, it drove her nuts. It really did come out of nowhere."

Sora's normal cheerful expression faded and he looked to the floor. "Poor Sis. She didn't deserve that."

"And then," Riku stated slowly, trying his hardest to mask the emotions in his voice, "how do you guys know the gender already? Did she JUST become pregnant?"

Naminé shook her head. "That's what makes this worse." She licked her lips. "You can't tell the gender for a while – I heard that it takes about two months or so and from what Selphie said, Larxene knew. And Jasmine – being as sharp as she is – it only took her…not even a few seconds to put the pieces together and realize that he'd been cheating on her for a while which added more to the hurt."

Riku balled his fists and sighed. "When do you think she'll be up?"

"I have no idea," Naminé answered honestly. "She hasn't been sleeping much. She's probably mentally and emotionally exhausted. It's like wound was reopened but the cut is a little deeper."

Riku rose as did Sora. "I'll come by later. Hopefully she'll be up by then."

Sora smiled ruefully. "Tell Sis that I hope she feels better and that I'll gladly beat the crap out of her ex if I see him!"

Naminé closed her eyes and smiled. "Thanks a lot guys. Jasmine is tough. I'm sure she'll be fine soon. Just you wait and see."

* * *

Tifa walked into the employee lounge carrying a huge bouquet of white lilies and set them down on the table where Jasmine sat. The hazel-eyed college junior had been resting her head down on the table and lifted it when she felt Tifa's presence. She stared at the flowers in confusion, looking to Tifa for an answer.

"Riku came by on his lunch break," Tifa explained, pulling up a chair next to Jasmine. "He wants you to call him later."

Jasmine sighed and pulled the flowers closer to her, taking in their sweet scent. "I'll give him a call when I take the train home."

Tifa's eyes were full to the brim with concern. "Jasmine, sweetheart, what happened? Is everything okay?"

Jasmine sighed heavily and rubbed her bloodshot eyes. She had hardly slept in days. "Remember that ex I told you about?"

"Uh huh," Tifa trailed off.

"Well I learned," Jasmine's eyes hardened, "that part of the reason why he skipped town and left me that crappy ass cop-out note was because he got some girl pregnant." Tifa gasped and Jasmine laughed darkly. "And it's a boy, which also means that he cheated on me towards the back end of our relationship. I feel like an idiot."

Tifa shook her head. "That's terrible. Absolutely terrible. I swear it's like people just don't have respect for one another. Did you talk to Riku about this? He seemed awfully concerned."

Jasmine mumbled, "No. I know he knows though. He's been calling me and texting me frequently but I've always been asleep or out when he'd contact me."

"Honey, you need to talk to him. I'm sure he's as concerned as you as the rest of us are," Tifa pleaded.

Jasmine froze up then, running her fingers along the silky-soft flower petals without saying a word.

"I'm sure it'll be tough, but I'm sure Riku is a bit confused as to why you aren't talking to him. He's only trying to help." Tifa placed a hand over Jasmine's and gave it a tight squeeze. "He truly cares about you Jasmine. I know you've been hurt and have been going over this in your head since you found out, but if you don't open up with Riku, it'll cause serious problems with your relationship. And you two seem so happy."

Jasmine closed her eyes, picturing Riku's face. It was true. She was very happy when she was with him and things had changed for the better with them being together. She had someone she could talk to about pretty much anything. She had someone she could call up at a moment's notice and hang out with. Things with Riku were…so natural.

Tifa released Jasmine's hand and headed for the door. "I've already called someone else to take over for you. Go home and get some rest. I've got patrons asking if you're alright. Get some rest."

* * *

"Jasmine! Riku and Sora are here!" Naminé called from the entryway as both boys made their way to the living room.

Jasmine sat on the floor playing video games with her attention focused on the screen. "Hey guys," she called out distantly.

Sora waved and smiled brightly. "Hiya Sis!"

Riku crouched down beside Jasmine and kissed her cheek. Jasmine tensed up at the act at first and then relaxed. "Hey," Riku greeted softly. "How are you doing?"

Jasmine sighed and set the game on "pause". She pushed the controller in front of her and then turned to Riku, her gaze elsewhere. "I've been okay," she answered, "just tired."

Riku sighed and made a motion to her room while Sora and Naminé chatted amongst themselves in the kitchen. Naminé was cutting a slice of cake while Sora was hovering over her. "Do you want to talk?"

Fearing that it would be worse on her if she declined, she pulled down her nightshirt and nodded. Riku stood up first and then reached out to Jasmine and pulled her to her feet. The two headed into Jasmine's bedroom and Riku shut the door behind them to assure their privacy.

Jasmine sat down on her bed and Riku took a seat next to her. She stared off to the side and brushed a strand of messy hair behind an ear. "I know you know what happened…" she started.

"Yeah I do," Riku replied.

She sighed. "And what do you think? It's a pretty screwed up situation," she laughed hollowly, feeling her chest tighten. Jasmine knew that she was going to become closed off soon. It was only a matter of time.

Riku groaned. "Well I _think _I'd like to beat the shit out of you ex. He's a coward," venom dripped from Riku's normally calm and level voice, startling Jasmine at first. "I don't know what kind of person cheats on someone, gets the other person pregnant then skips town. I can't believe this crap still happens."

Jasmine grabbed her knees and pulled them to her chest, resting her chin on top. "I don't know how I could have let someone like that into my life." She scoffed. "I wonder what that says about me as a person…being involved with someone so evil who clearly doesn't give a damn about others."

"It's not your fault," Riku told her sternly. "You didn't know that your ex was that kind of person."

Jasmine frowned and shook her head. Even though she wanted to say more, her pride prevented her from doing so. Plus, the longer she talked about it, the chances of her breaking down and crying slowly rose.

"Faye," Riku called softly. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me. I want to be able to understand you but I need you to be more open. How can I help if you won't talk to me?"

Jasmine buried her face in her legs. She hated this. Feeling so vulnerable and weak. It made her sick to her stomach.

"Riku," Jasmine sighed, lifting her head. "I…"

The doorbell rang and cut her off. The pair paused for a moment and tried to listen in. Jasmine's eyes narrowed. She could hear Naminé's voice clearly and it was agitated. But it just wasn't her voice she heard.

Jasmine balled her fists and stormed out of the room with Riku trailing after her.

When she was finally near the entryway she saw Naminé and Sora blocking the entrance with a very familiar young man in the doorway.

"Leave Vanitas," Naminé warned. "You're not wanted here."

Vanitas, a young man who looked nearly identical to Sora save for his midnight black hair, pale skin and blazing amber eyes, sucked his teeth, a wicked smirk on his face. "I didn't come to see you, Naminé. I came to see Jasmine."

"You should leave," Naminé pushed, determined to not let him in any further.

"I'll handle this Naminé," Jasmine called, startling both Sora and Naminé who hadn't realized that she and Riku were in the room.

"Jasmine!" Naminé turned around. "I was just telling him to leave."

Vanitas brushed past Naminé and Sora, making his way to Jasmine. Riku, immediately going on the defensive, held back the stranger before he could get any closer to Jasmine. "Who are you?" he asked carefully.

Jasmine's eyes became hard as ice and a smirk crept up on her face as well. "This is my ex-boyfriend," she told Riku. "Speak of the devil," she chided, "I was _just _thinking of assholes and you appear on my doorstep. How lovely."

"Put the claws away," Vanitas told her, "we need to talk."

"Oh? You want to talk now?" Jasmine's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Don't you think that you could have just left it all in a note like you did last time? It would have saved you the train ticket, that's for sure."

Vanitas' frown deepened. "Let's just talk outside."

Naminé rushed over to Jasmine and tugged on her hand. "This is not a good idea," she whispered, "I can call the police."

"It's alright Naminé," Jasmine reassured her. "I can take care of this."

Riku couldn't stand by and watch this. He was getting a bad vibe from the dark-haired young man and didn't feel comfortable with leaving him and Jasmine alone. "I'm going with you."

Jasmine walked on with Vanitas trailing behind her. "This won't take long," she called out. "I promise."

With that Jasmine and Vanitas left, shutting the door tightly behind them.

As soon as a full minute passed, Naminé ran to her cell phone and searched through the contacts list.

"Who are you calling?" Riku asked, eyes on the door. He had a bad feeling about all of this.

"I'm calling Roxas," Naminé replied, "Vanitas and Jasmine have gotten into some pretty intense arguments before and things could get out of hand really fast."

Sora groaned and stood at Riku's side. "I had no idea that she was dating my cousin…"

Riku's eyes widened in shock from Sora's admission. "Your cousin?"

Sora confirmed this. "Yeah, he's my first cousin but he and I rarely speak. Don't know too much about him. If I had known that he was dating Jasmine I most likely would have given her a heads up."

This just continued to get worse and worse. Riku was anxious to get out there. He didn't feel comfortable with leaving the two of them together in that space.

"Roxas," Naminé said urgently, "can you get over here? It's important. Jasmine's ex – "

"LET GO OF ME!" The group heard a young girl shout at the top of her lungs.

Without another word, Riku and Sora headed for the door and out to see what was going on. Naminé too headed out with the phone pressed to her ear. "Hurry Roxas!"

* * *

Once Jasmine and Vanitas were at the bottom of the stairs and standing by the rock garden, she stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. "I came to set the story straight."

She cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "What is there to get straight? You cheated, got some girl pregnant and took off. Although I'm shocked you had the balls to come here and try and explain yourself."

"You're going to take the word of some random people and just run with it?" Vanitas questioned, slightly irritated.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "And you want me to take the word of some piece of shit who knocks up girls and then expects to get an audience? You've always been shady. My only mistake was staying with you for as long as I did."

Vanitas growled. He wasn't used to people challenging him and to see Jasmine do so without any hesitation angered him further. "I was the best thing to ever happen to you."

"Pretty full of yourself, aren't you?" she chuckled. Jasmine laughed and pulled her hair out of her face. "In case I didn't make it clear, I want you gone and I never want to see your face ever again. If you so much as contact me, I'll call the police and put out a restraining order on you."

"You wouldn't." This was more of a statement than anything.

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders and turned on her heel, being ever so careful as to not step on rocks with her bare feet. "I wouldn't push your luck, Vanitas. Goodbye. I hope you get yourself together. I pity Larxene. Then again," she scoffed, "you two deserve each other."

Watching Jasmine walk away like that only fueled Vanitas' anger. Before she could get far, he walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. "I'm not done talking to you."

Jasmine whipped around and pulled free from him. "Don't touch me," she warned.

Vanitas ignored her and grabbed Jasmine by her shoulder. "Don't you talk to me like that," he threatened.

Now feeling danger, Jasmine pushed Vanitas away from her. "Leave before I call the police!"

Once Jasmine shoved him away, Vanitas snapped. He made another swipe at her and grabbed the front of her shirt and grabbed her face with his free hand, holding her in place. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He shook her once and hard. "We're not finished until I say so."

Jasmine slapped Vanitas clear across the face and stumbled back, her attention focused on the dangerous boy in front of her. "Go to hell!"

Vanitas made another pass at Jasmine and scratched her cheek in the process, causing her to yelp. Just before he could grab her again Jasmine punched him across the face and sidestepped when he reached for her shirt. 'This can't be happening,' she chanted, realizing that she was now in a physical fight with her ex-boyfriend. 'This can't be happening…'

While Jasmine momentarily lost herself in her thoughts, Vanitas grabbed Jasmine and the two tumbled backwards and into the rock garden. Jasmine screamed when her left leg was cut and Vanitas had grabbed her by her hair. The two struggled with Vanitas clearly having the upper hand. He slapped her after he pinned her down and Jasmine began kicking with as much strength as she could muster given her situation.

"LET GO OF ME!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Before Vanitas could slap her again she could feel him being pulled off her and her body being dragged out of the rock garden and onto the driveway.

When everything cleared, her adrenaline slowing down, Jasmine realized that Riku had been the one to pull Vanitas off her and was now pummeling him into the ground with Roxas and Sora pulling him off Vanitas. Jasmine looked up and realized that the one holding her was Naminé.

"Are you okay?" Naminé's eyes were wide with panic. She quickly scanned over her slightly dazed friend and gasped when she saw her leg bleeding profusely. "Your leg!"

Jasmine felt dizzy. Her head must have collided with the ground when she and Vanitas went tumbling down. Was all this really happening?

She blinked rapidly when she saw Riku fighting back against Sora and Roxas in an attempt to get at Vanitas. Jasmine leaned forward on her knees.

"RIKU! STOP IT!" she screamed, pleading with him.

"I've called the police," Naminé shouted, protectively holding Jasmine. "You'd better get out of here, Vanitas!"

Once Roxas and Sora had successfully restrained Riku, Vanitas rolled back and spat out blood onto the concrete. He stared at Jasmine hatefully as she pulled herself to her feet with a slight limp.

"You bitch," he swore. "Look at you, having other people fight your battles for you – "

Before Vanitas could say anything more, Jasmine made her way over to Vanitas and punched him right in the mouth with Naminé now having to restrain her. "There's a place in hell reserved JUST for you Vanitas," she breathed.

Deciding it best not to say anything else, Vanitas pulled himself together and walked away from the scene, disappearing into the night.

When Vanitas was finally gone, Jasmine slumped back down to the ground, clutching her head and finding it hard to focus. Her vision was blurry and soon she was blinking in and was having a tough time figuring out what was going on around her.

"Jasmine!" Roxas and Sora shouted repeatedly. To Jasmine, their voices were very distant.

Naminé touched the back of her head where there was a knot forming. "She bumped her head I think." She looked to the group. "Should we take her to the hospital?"

"No no," Jasmine insisted, trying to stand on her own but failing miserably. Before she hit the ground again Riku caught Jasmine and held her tight. Jasmine was still fazing in and out but she could see that his arms were scratched up pretty badly and that he was bleeding. Granted he wasn't in as bad of shape as her but he still was hurt.

Riku picked Jasmine up and carried her in his arms. He was shaking with anger but tried to remain calm with Jasmine in her current condition. "Call Kairi," he instructed, "she's a nursing student. She can help us out while we wait for the campus police to get here."

The group agreed and Sora made the phone call as they all went back into the apartment, Jasmine and Riku being the last to do so.

Feeling worse than ever, Jasmine allowed the tears to freely fall from her eyes as she allowed Riku to carry her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to Riku weakly. "I'm so so sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Yeah um I know I said that this was going to be five chapters but I decided against having another 20 page chapter. Chapter 6 WILL be the final chapter of "Perfect Blue" for sure. I felt that if I ended it here then it would be seriously rushed and I'd rather not give you guys a pile of crap simply because I wanted to end the story. How did you guys like it?

Remember when I said that I had used something I was going through personally when writing this story? Well (not so) funny story: I recently learned that my ex had actually done the same thing that Vanitas did (not that he ever physically harmed me) and for a while it really screwed with my head which is why it took me a while to update this story. I won't lie, I'm still dealing with it now but in all honesty I've seen stuff like this happen before to other people and so I included it. Like I said, I usually keep my personal life OUT and away from my work and the stories but I felt that this was important because it has happened to others.

In any case I expect the last chapter to be out before Monday so look out for that! Also pay very close attention because in the last chapter I'll be revealing something key to the sequel of "Sins and an Absolution". Yay I'm so excited for it!

I want to thank all those who read, followed, faved, and all that good stuff.

To my reviewers:

**hopefuldreamer1991**: Haha well this new chapter wasn't so fluffy. But I enjoy seeing Riku and Jasmine happy as well. Thanks for the review!

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**: Haha yes, it was definitely Vanitas. I don't think I could ever write Ven as a villain (it's almost like when I try to do the same with Sora honestly – it just doesn't work out). I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as much as you did. Oh yes, there are definitely a lot of parallels and I'm happy that people have caught it! Thank you for the review!

**Sarah K.R: **Oh my goodness thank you for the complement! I'm seriously blushing over here (no lie). Sorry to pull you along for another chapter but I promise that 6 will be the last! In all honesty, it was kind of hard having to go and try to write a sweet story after being so invested in the second part of "Heartbreakers" and "Sins and an Absolution". Thanks for the review!

**Krajesh**: Haha no worries. Honestly you are not the first person to think that. Hmm, perhaps I should let people know up front that I'm using OCs. I usually stay away from Disney characters and don't incorporate them in my stories. I like having Riku be the good guy too! From the first Kingdom Hearts when Riku became a bit of a villain it was so easy to have him slip into that villain mode. Poor guy just can't catch a break lol. Thank you for the review!

**Sookdeo**: Exactly. Totally parallel. In my mind I like to think that this is kinda what everyone would be like without all the excess drama. And yes, I'm trying to use more references to Kingdom Hearts as opposed to Final Fantasy. Thank you so much for the review!

**animechick247**: Aww I'm glad you liked it so much. I should have more drunk Naminé moments, huh? Lol thank you for the review!

Thank you guys so much for sticking in here with me and supporting this story. It really means the world to me. Please! Tell me what you think about this chapter in a review and I'll get the final chapter out soon.

Take care everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

Jasmine emerged from the bathroom, steam pouring out from the room. She was clad in an oversized blue button up that stopped above her knees and her dark ebony locks were still saturated from the shower water. She headed into the lavish living room to see a familiar blond with cyan eyes and dirty blond hair styled into a mullet, dabbing her hair with the towel he provided for her.

"Okay," he said, stepping back and presenting the make-shift bed to his guest. "You've got your pillows, comforter, blanket and," he drawled the last word out as he dashed into the kitchen, returning in a matter of moments with a large bowl of popcorn and another bowl filled to the brim with chocolates, "all the snack foods a girl could ask for!"

Jasmine's smile was small but it was still very much present. She took a seat on the couch while the blond jumped onto the loveseat adjacent to hers. "Demyx, you really know how to spoil someone."

The young man named Demyx grinned. "Anything for my bestie! You know I've been trying to get you to come over here for a month. It's my pleasure!"

Jasmine and Demyx had known each other since they were children when she was eight and when he was eleven. Although the two were very different (Jasmine being the more calm, reserved one with Demyx being the wild, rambunctious child) it was almost as if they were perfect together. Even though Demyx and Jasmine had lived on separate islands once she hit high school, it did not deter the two from keeping up their friendship.

"So this is how rock stars live?" Jasmine marveled at the beauty and luxury that surrounded her in Demyx's apartment on the far side of the Destiny Islands.

Demyx turned on the large flat screen and mindlessly flipped through the channels. "You know I've been asking you to be my partner for AGES," he stressed, "you've got quite a set of pipes on ya girl and you're a kick-ass piano player."

Jasmine blushed from the complement. "I don't think I could do it, Demyx. But I'm more than happy to support you in any way I can."

Once Demyx settled on a comedy he tossed the remote control on the floor and stretched out. "You could help me by being my partner but I _suppose_ you could just keep me company and beat the fangirls away."

The ebony-haired girl chuckled and relaxed, covering herself with the comforter Demyx provided her with. Before she could say anything to him, her phone sitting on the glass coffee table next to a stack of magazines vibrated noisily. Sighing, Jasmine looked over to see who was calling her and immediately silenced the phone when she recognized the caller.

"Who was that?" Demyx asked curiously.

Jasmine exhaled deeply. "It's Riku." There was a bit of sadness in her voice as she said his name, catching Demyx's attention immediately.

"Oh the hubby?" Demyx teased. "Why didn't you answer?"

"Um," Jasmine had to think of a proper reason why she didn't answer Riku's call before she could reply to Demyx's seemingly basic question. It was nearly two in the morning the same night that she had her…interaction with her (abusive) ex-boyfriend Vanitas and surely Riku was just calling to check in on her. However, she couldn't bring herself to answering the call.

"Does he know you're here?" Demyx asked curiously.

She shook her head. "I doubt it. I left a note with Naminé and she knows where I am. He'll only know if he talks to her."

Demyx's expression became quite grim, fear slowly creeping up on him. "Your boyfriend…is he the jealous type?"

Jasmine tilted her head to the ceiling and pondered the thought. "Well," she wavered her hand, "maybe just a little…"

The blond's face drained itself of its color. "He's gonna come here and kick my ass…it's the end," he threw a pillow over his face and groaned.

"Doubt it. His mother owns the record label _you_ work for. I'm sure she'd kill him first for touching her star." Jasmine attempted to calm the dramatic musician down but by the look of fear in his face she wasn't sure if it was working.

"Uh, his girlfriend is sleeping over at my place! I'd be pissed too! In fact any boyfriend would be pissed that his girl is at some other guy's house." Demyx threw himself over the side of the couch and hid. "He's gonna skin me alive and it'll be all your fault!"

Jasmine laughed at the sight before her. She had almost forgotten how dramatic Demyx could be. "Don't worry about it. If anything he'll be mad at me."

Demyx turned down the volume on the TV, curious as to why this would be. "Why would Riku be mad at you?"

She cracked her knuckles and placed her hands behind her head. Jasmine started the story and Demyx listened closely…

_Naminé held Jasmine's hand while the latter's free one pressed an ice-pack to her throbbing cranium. Shortly after Vanitas left, the police arrived to get an account of the events that took place earlier in the evening. Riku sat on the other side of Jasmine and relayed a great deal of information seeing as his girlfriend still seemed stunned from the fall._

_The police officer in front of them closed his notebook and sighed, running a hand through his wild, dark hair. "We'll contact you in the morning, Miss Silva. Is there anything else we can do for you?"_

_'Too loud,' Jasmine grumbled mentally. Perhaps she'd hit her head harder than she originally thought. She glanced at the officer's nametag and offered him a small smile of gratitude. "No thank you, Officer Leonhart. I appreciate it though."_

_Naminé gave Jasmine's hand a squeeze. "Don't you think that you should go to the hospital? You hit your head pretty hard."_

_"No," Jasmine declined, "I'll be fine."_

_After a few short goodbyes the police left the apartment. Once they were gone, Kairi, Sora's girlfriend came over to take a look at Jasmine. While cleaning the wound on her leg, Kairi shook her head in disapproval._

_"Luckily the wound has been cleaned out," Kairi said as she washed over it with a warm cloth, pulling it back to see that there was only minimal blood now. "You shouldn't get an infection and it should heal up quite nicely."_

_"Vanitas should be in jail," Roxas' face was twisted in irritation. "What a psycho…" he then caught a look at Sora and offered a rueful smile. "Sorry man for ragging on your cousin."_

_Sora seemed completely unfazed by Roxas' comment. "You're not hurting my feelings. He shouldn't have attacked Jasmine."_

_Riku, who was still at Jasmine's side spoke up next. "You two should have let me finish kicking his ass."_

_"I don't think that you wanna go to jail, Riku," Naminé gently mentioned._

_The silver-haired junior brushed Naminé's words to the side. "I have no tolerance for guys like that. If I see him again I'll definitely come after him."_

_Jasmine sighed while Kairi placed a bandage on her leg. Fortunately she wouldn't need stitches. "Riku, leave it be."_

_Riku reeled back as if she'd just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Faye, this guy attacked you," he stated._

_"Yeah," she winced when she replaced the older ice pack with a newer one that Roxas took out of the freezer a few minutes ago, "tell me something I don't know."_

_Not quite understanding Jasmine's mentality, Riku became irritated. "I don't know why you aren't madder about this. This guy attacks you and you don't want anyone to do anything about it."_

_Jasmine was known to be a strong believer in karma and despite all the wrong doings that Vanitas had committed, she still didn't want for there to be any more violence. "Vanitas will get what he deserves in the future. No need in looking for a fight," she said calmly._

_Instead of calming down Riku, which was Jasmine's original intention with her words, Riku became even more infuriated. "Are you kidding me? Are you telling me to go easy on him? To leave him alone? You CAN'T be serious!"_

_"Stop yelling!" Jasmine half-shouted, causing the group to take a few steps back away from the bickering couple._

_"Then stop being so cavalier about this," Riku lowered his voice but didn't lose the harsh edge. One reason being that he didn't want to aggravate her headache further and the second reason was that her sharpness caught him off guard. "We're only trying to help you and you're not letting us. If you'd be a little more open then we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place."_

_Jasmine inhaled sharply and stood up. "So this is my fault now? Nice one Riku." As quickly as she could Jasmine made her way to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her._

"I think that he was just really concerned, Jasmine," Demyx listened closely to the story, not once interrupting her as she spoke.

"I know," Jasmine yawned. It was almost two in the morning and she was beginning to get tired. If it weren't for the fact that she was scared of sleeping on a head injury then she would have passed out a long time ago.

"Did he come back to apologize?"

"Yeah. He knocked on the door but I locked it and didn't answer him," she explained. "I just didn't want to entertain an argument with him at that time."

Demyx looked at Jasmine's motorcycle helmet. "I don't know if it was such a good idea for you to have driven here by yourself. You know I woulda picked you up."

Jasmine shrugged, now realizing that driving with a splitting headache late at night probably wasn't the brightest of ideas. "True, but it helped me clear my head."

"Regardless, I'll take you home tomorrow, okay? I don't want you getting hurt." Demyx's concern was true and genuine, Jasmine could see that much for sure. Knowing that it would be easier to just take his advice, Jasmine agreed to his request.

"Thank you, Demyx."

"AND," he pointed an index finger up into the air, "you've got to talk to Riku too once you get back. You've got to be open with him about your feelings."

Jasmine tensed up at the mere idea of spilling her guts out to Riku.

"What's the problem?" Demyx asked curiously, turning off the light while their show continued to play.

"Feelings are gross…"

This made Demyx burst into a fit of laughter that lasted for several minutes while Jasmine laid on the couch with her cheeks stained red with embarrassment.

"This isn't funny!" she whined uncharacteristically.

Once Demyx was able to calm himself down, he explained the reason as to why he reacted in such a way. "Riku has a point! You need to be more open with him if you want this relationship to work out. Now…I know you're not one of those girls who spills her feelings out –"

"Damn straight."

"But you need to let Riku know how you're feeling," Demyx continued. "I know that you're not just mad at Vanitas. There's more to why you're upset than just the break up. You're a thinker and something about the entire thing didn't sit well with you. You don't have to be explicit but he deserves an explanation. Guys can't guess what you're thinking: be blunt like you normally are."

Jasmine mulled over the thought. Truth be told, she'd rather have another fight with Vanitas than deal with her feelings.

"I know you love him and I'm sure he feels the same way about you. Trust yourself and trust Riku. It'll work out better than you think, I promise."

Jasmine hopped up from her couch and embraced Demyx who eagerly returned the hug. "You always know what to say. Thank you."

Demyx chuckled. "Most people would disagree but I'll take it!"

* * *

When Jasmine returned to her apartment and opened the door, she was immediately attacked by a familiar blond girl who held her in place with her tightest bear hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Naminé yelled into Jasmine's chest.

The older girl, thrown off guard by Naminé's actions, returned the hug and pulled her back. "I'm fine. I just spent the night at Demyx's place."

Naminé gave Jasmine a once over to make sure that she was all in one piece and sighed in relief. "I'm glad," she tugged on Jasmine's hands and pulled her inside the apartment. "You know, Riku called me last night." Naminé sat Jasmine on the couch and then rushed into the kitchen, returning with two cups of tea placing one cup in front of Jasmine and one in front of her.

Jasmine felt this coming. "And what happened?"

"He wanted to know how you were doing and if he could see you," Naminé replied, taking a sip of her tea.

"I see," Jasmine followed suit with Naminé and drank in the uncomfortable silence. She knew that something was coming.

Naminé pulled out a letter from underneath one of the magazines they had strategically placed on their coffee table. She held it out for Jasmine who stared at the letter curiously. "He came by earlier this morning hoping he'd catch you."

"Not another letter," Jasmine took the letter from Naminé and stared at it.

"He feels really bad about what happened last night…and about everything with Vanitas in general," Naminé told her sadly, her head dropping so that her gaze was focused on the carpet underneath her feet.

Jasmine did not know what to say about any of this. She wasn't one to just open up about her emotions like other girls. She usually kept to herself except with Demyx and – to an extent – Naminé. So, as she would usually, Jasmine tried to avoid talking about her emotions and laid out the facts. "None of this was anyone's fault but Vanitas'. He was the one who cheated, left and then came back swinging. He shouldn't feel sorry for anything regarding him."

Naminé pulled her flaxen hair over one shoulder and exhaled. "Riku's sorry for what he said last night. After you went to your room he just ran out. Sora and Kairi went after him. Kairi called and said that she'd never seen Riku that upset before. Usually he's Mr. Calm, Cool and Collected. Then again," she added, "you would know this better than me."

The ebony-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and set the letter down in front of her, staring at it for the longest time.

It wasn't until Naminé spoke up after a few minutes did Jasmine tear her eyes away from the letter.

"I've got a confession to make," she announced.

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow. "Please tell me it's not more bad news."

"No," Naminé replied. "It's not, but I have been meddling a lot with this whole situation."

'Tell me something I don't know,' Jasmine rolled her eyes mentally. "Go on."

"You see," Naminé was initially hesitant but she knew that Jasmine deserved to know the truth, "I remembered when you first mentioned Riku by description and joked about it with Roxas. Well, he claimed that he had a friend that would fit that description and I met Riku. I was so sure that he was the guy you were talking about. After all, how many boys have naturally silver hair?"

Jasmine kept up with the conversation, remaining silent for the duration of the story.

"And so we invited him out the night we went to that club in hopes that you would meet."

'Roxas was in on this too?' Jasmine asked herself mentally. 'Well he was way more tactful about it at least.'

"Roxas told me that Riku was a really great guy who mentioned that he ran into a girl who fit your description and we wanted you guys to introduce yourself to him that night. But then you left before we could do so and so I invited him to breakfast and the restaurant later on when you left before we could all go out."

Jasmine let everything Naminé said sink in. She had known that there had been some level of meddling but she hadn't expected it to have been this deep with Naminé.

"Why though?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Why what?"

"Why would you go through such great lengths to get Riku and I talking?"

Naminé cupped her hands and sat them in her lap. "Because I believed that Riku would have been someone that you would have liked," she revealed. "He's tall, calm – just like you, intelligent, attractive and just an overall nice guy. Plus he's one of Roxas' friends so I knew that I could keep an eye on him."

Jasmine relaxed on the couch and covered her eyes. 'So from the very beginning huh?'

"I just want you to be happy," Naminé stressed each and every word, genuine care and concern shining in her gorgeous blue eyes. "You deserve it. When I saw that Riku started developing an interest in you, I had hoped that you could become yourself again."

"Naminé, I don't need a boyfriend to be happy," Jasmine told her, face burning from embarrassment. "That's the mistake that a lot of girls make: living their lives and basing their validity around the person they're dating."

Naminé shook her head. "I know I know, and you're not like that. You can do fine all by yourself and I know that because I've seen it. After the first few meetings I thought that you and Riku might just be friends but after hearing from both of you I knew that you guys had feelings for one another. He's a good guy, you're a great girl. You deserve each other." She patted Jasmine's shoulder and took away their tea cups. "You really do."

Once Naminé was in the kitchen preparing another batch of tea for the both of them, Jasmine picked up the letter once more and opened it. 'We deserve each other huh? Is that how love works?'

* * *

A few days after Jasmine had returned to her apartment, she had mysteriously received a day off from work.

"_Just take a day off. I know you're not feeling at your best given what happened. I'll definitely need you next week though so don't worry about not having enough hours," Tifa told her over the phone. _

"I wonder if Naminé had anything to do with this though," Jasmine asked herself as she boarded the train heading back to the Destiny Islands. Since she had been given the day off and with school around the corner, Jasmine decided that it would be a good idea to go back to her home on Twilight Town, pick up a few notebooks she'd left back in her room and head home. Besides, with all that she had been through Jasmine thought that a change of scenery would do her some good.

Jasmine took an empty cabin and dropped her messenger bag on the plush purple seat, spreading her legs out on the seat facing in front of her. She sat near the window and watched as the train slowly pulled out of the Twilight Town station, the city known for its gorgeous sunsets shrinking into the distance.

When she had finally gotten comfortable, Jasmine pulled Riku's letter out of the pocket of her oversized green, long-sleeved button up breast pocket and released her hair from it's messy bun. She had about an hour and a half before the train would pull into the station near the university so she decided that she would kill some time.

However it's not as if Jasmine hadn't read Riku's letter before. In fact, this would be her twentieth time or so looking over it. But even so, Jasmine found herself constantly going back to it, taking in every word Riku said to her.

_Faye,_

_I'm so sorry for what I said to you that night and I know that by saying that my anger left over from Vanitas transferred over to you. It was wrong. I was wrong._

_It's hard for me to apologize sometimes. I know I have an ego. I know I'm prideful. But not apologizing for being a complete jerk to you could jeopardize our relationship and I'm not willing to let my pride ruin this. _

_From the moment I saw you, I'd always wondered about you. Who you were. What you were like. Everything. You're not like a lot of the girls on the island and that's exactly why I was so drawn to you. I just wanted to get to know you and now that I have a slight idea, I want nothing more than to continue and see where this goes. _

_I hope that we can sit down and talk. I really hope that we can fix this. _

_I love you,_

_Riku_

Jasmine must have read that note at least a dozen more times since she started, daydreaming in between reads and thinking about everything that happened since the start of the summer from Vanitas' disappearance up until this moment in time.

Everything was such a blur. Her mother warned her that as she aged, time would seemingly speed up and (as much as Jasmine hated agreeing with her mother on anything) she was right. No longer was she a little girl who held onto the romantic, fairytale-esqe idea of what a relationship would be and "happily ever after" (not that she truly fell for it anyway). Now she was a young woman who was learning about the harsh realities of the real world.

People were terribly flawed. Every single one of them, Jasmine realized. There was no such thing as black and white anymore. Innocent white lies could turn into something darker at the drop of a dime and people lied, cheated and stole to do whatever they needed.

Her greatest lesson and biggest wakeup call was with her relationship with Vanitas. One minute things would be calm and the next they would be completely chaotic. And then, out of nowhere, he had vanished because he openly chose to lie and cheat on her with another woman, impregnating her in the process.

As much as she despised Vanitas for everything that he had done, Jasmine hesitated in judging him. 'I'm human too. I have flaws as well. Who am I to judge him for his actions? I'm not perfect…but do we all possess that level of darkness and selfishness?'

Jasmine's phone began to vibrate and she answered it without looking at her caller identification. "Hello?" she greeted.

"Faye," Riku's voice sent chills down Jasmine's spine. Even after all this time, he still had such a powerful effect on her. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," she replied politely. Jasmine glanced out the window, marveling at the ocean and the speed at which the train sped along the tracks away from the islands. "Yourself?"

"I'm fine," Riku answered. "I just wanted to see how you were doing seeing as we haven't talked much."

Instantly a wave of guilt washed over Jasmine. She'd been trying her best to avoid him in order to stall the impending conversation of her feelings. Honestly, Riku did not deserve this treatment and hearing the worry and concern in his voice only made her feel worse for her behavior as of late.

"I know and I wanted to apologize for that," Jasmine began, keeping her eyes focused on the scenery outside. She swallowed hard, prepared herself and decided that she needed to be mature about the situation, especially if she wanted to keep up their relationship. "But I think we should have this conversation in person."

"That's a good idea."

However Riku's statement was not made over the phone. In fact he sounded a lot closer than she had initially anticipated. Jasmine looked up and saw Riku sitting in the seat opposite of her and shrieked, dropping her phone and pressing her back to the seat.

"RIKU?" She half-shouted, clutching her chest and erratically beating heart. "How the hell are you here? Aren't you supposed to be on the island?"

Riku quickly apologized for scaring her. "My bad, I probably shouldn't have scared you like that."

Jasmine tried to steady her breathing but it wasn't coming along as quickly as she would have wanted. "No shit…" she mumbled under her breath. "But like I asked," she cleared her throat and paused to gather her thoughts, "what are you doing here?"

Riku was silent for a few moments and immediately Jasmine knew what had happened.

"Naminé told you where I would be, didn't she?"

"Yeah," he admitted, "I knew that you were going to Twilight Town and figured that I'd hop the train and meet you part way."

"So let me get this straight: you took a train out her just to meet up with me?" Jasmine's leaned forward, eyes wide with anticipation.

Riku ran a hand through his silvery hair, aquamarine eyes as calm as the ocean waters. "Actually I was already out on Traverse Town visiting a cousin. I just figured that I'd chance running into you. There's only one train that takes a straight shot from Twilight Town, to Traverse Town and back to the island."

'Why didn't I think of that?' Jasmine thought, pulling her feet up and to her chest.

Riku noticed his letter sitting on the seat next to Jasmine. "You read it?"

Jasmine sighed. "Probably almost fifty times," she openly admitted.

"And what do you think?"

This was the hard part. But Jasmine knew that if she wasn't open and honest with Riku now then she would only doom them further along the line.

"I want to apologize for overreacting. We could have easily worked it out that night if I hadn't of stormed off like a child."

"But Faye," Riku interrupted. "After everything that happened of course you'd be upset," Riku leaned forward and folded his hands into his lap.

She shook this off. "No. I was still childish and you guys really stepped in and helped me when I needed you the most. No one has ever really taken care of me the way you guys have. In all honesty, I've pretty much been on my own since I was little. My parents were gone a fair amount of the time and I didn't exactly fit in at my schools. Sure I had my pocket of friends here and there but they were more acquaintances than anything. Even though it's not an excuse, I need to do some growing up and let those who care about me, actually come in and be active in my life."

Riku was stunned. Jasmine had never revealed so much about herself in one sitting before.

"And with Vanitas, I'm completely over him. It just threw me off guard," Jasmine returned her gaze to the scenery and rested against the windowsill, her chin cupped in her hand. "I was always taught that people generally have some form of respect for one another and what he did," her voice hardened for the briefest of moments, "was disrespectful in the highest form. I would have rather he broke it off with me at the first sign than to have carried this on. It was cowardly on his part."

"He was just trying to have his cake and eat it too," Riku spoke up. "A lot of people do that."

"Yes I was upset that my boyfriend had left me with a crappy letter but what truly got to me was the realization that things aren't always black and white and that you don't always get answers, meaning that you can't always have closure."

It all made sense to Riku now. Not having an answer or reason was probably more hurtful than the actual disappearance for her.

"It's hard to accept that I'll never have a straight answer. I was always taught that there's an answer for everything and that we deserve to at least have the reason as to why people do the things they do. I don't know," she sighed, pulling her bangs out of her face only for some of the hairs to fall back in her tired hazel/gold eyes. "It just makes me think about people and my lack of understanding on how life is supposed to work."

Riku stared at Jasmine for a long time and she knew it. As hard as she tried to initially ignore it, she eventually couldn't take his strong gaze on her for much longer.

"What is it, Riku?"

He pursed his lips and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm going to tell you a story," he decided.

Jasmine batted her eyes. This was definitely not what she was expecting. "Huh?"

"It'll all make sense," he reassured her with a calm smile. "I've seen you on the train since before the beginning of summer time," Riku then cleared this up. "Well, _noticed_ might be more appropriate."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Riku nodded his head. "Uh huh. I would start my internship and take the train back in the evening and I would always catch you right as you got off of work. I'll never forget the day. I'd just had a long shift and I sat at the back. I wasn't really paying attention to much of anything honestly. Then I saw you walk on board the train," he chuckled then and in an instant, Jasmine caught the faintest pink glow painted on his face.

'What the hell? Riku blushes?' she exclaimed in her head, wondering if she was seeing things. 'Hell must be freezing over or something.'

"You clearly didn't notice me but that's probably for the best because I was blatantly staring at you."

"At me?" Jasmine said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Riku nodded. "Yes, you," he replied. "You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen in my life. I swear I've never seen that color before and I was just like "wow"."

"Funny," Jasmine laughed, feeling more open now, "I said the same thing about you."

"Guess we both have a thing for eyes," he laughed. "And then you have such gorgeous black hair, skin and you've got a great shape. I'm not going to say that I was ashamed at looking at you for so long. The older woman sitting in front of me laughed when she saw that and joked that I should just ask you out."

Jasmine's face was practically on fire from all the complements. 'He really thought I was attractive?'

"I don't mind going up to random people and striking up a conversation, I really don't, but for some reason I just couldn't talk to you even though I _really _wanted to. So I just let it go and watched you from afar," Riku paused and stole another glance at Jasmine. "So for two weeks I watched you, didn't say anything. And then when you dropped your phone as we were getting off I figured, "what the hell" and hoped that we could have struck up a conversation."

"Probably wouldn't have happened," Jasmine blurted out, "you were so good looking that I was stunned you were even talking to me so I ran. I've never met anyone who made me so nervous in my life…other than my father of course but that's a different thing altogether."

Riku laughed heartily then and Jasmine sank in her seat in order to somehow hide from the embarrassment. 'Why the hell couldn't my bluntness come out when I needed it earlier?' Jasmine cursed herself.

"Well I didn't notice if that was the case," Riku's laughter was slowly fading away. "You always seemed so calm and relaxed to me."

That's when Jasmine's frown deepened and she squeezed her legs. 'Seriously? So this whole time I've just been freaking myself out mentally? He never noticed how much of an idiot I made of myself? Why isn't there a corner I can hide in when I need one?'

"The point I'm trying to make here is that you gotta take things one day at a time. Sure the real world sucks but sometimes you run into things that make it a little brighter. There's not a black and white of anything, that much is for sure," Riku himself quickly glanced out the window. "I like to believe there's a middle ground and people don't exist on the extremes."

"So it's not about being perfect," Jasmine realized, "is it? It's taking each and every moment, learning that there is a reason for those moments, and then deciding for yourself what's true and what isn't so that you become yourself."

"That's what I like to believe anyway," Riku rose from his seat and then kneeled down in front of Jasmine on bended knee. He reached up and pulled her hair out of her face, his oceanic blues locked with her wild amber orbs. "And I'd like to believe that meeting you didn't happen by accident. We're probably going to fight – as much as I don't like that fact I'm sure it's bound to happen again. That's just how our personalities work."

Jasmine felt herself falling deeper and deeper but did not want to run like she had in the past.

"But I want to keep trying just as I hope that you'll keep trying."

"I'm not going anywhere," Jasmine told him without falter in her voice. 'I'm so in love with him that it makes me delirious.'

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure," Riku removed his hand and rested them on her knees, offering one of his trademark smile/smirks that could melt any girl's heart.

Jasmine gave a smile of her own, her eyes shining with a light of love that Riku had never seen before. She gently leaned forward and kissed his forehead softly. "We'll figure it out. Together."

* * *

_Several years later…_

"You know," Riku carried Jasmine along the beach early one morning just as the sun was rising. Jasmine, who was on his back with her arms latched around his neck peeked over his shoulder to get a good look at him.

"What is it, Riku?"

Riku chuckled and stared at gorgeous engagement ring placed on the ring finger of her left hand. "I think that ring is more special than any other piece of jewelry in the world. You want to know why?"

Jasmine squeezed Riku tighter and didn't bother trying to hide her blush. She had given that up years ago upon her fiancé's suggestion after he told her that the wash of color to her cheeks made her appear cuter. While it still embarrassed her, she just rode it out and laughed it off. "No. Why is that?"

"Because it means that you said yes to me and that we'll be married in a week and a half," Riku told her with a smile on his face.

The twenty five year old girl beamed and stared at the ring dreamily. "That's right," she said as if in a trance, "we'll be married soon."

When the couple were close to the shore, Riku set Jasmine down in the sand. As she slipped off her sandals, Riku then plopped down behind Jasmine and pulled her back to his chest, wrapping his arms around her as they watched the sun rise.

"It's a good thing you're done touring," Riku pointed out, "otherwise we would have needed to push the wedding back until much later."

Jasmine let out a long sigh and leaned back into Riku's chest. "I would rather cancel the concerts than miss my wedding. You know your mom would rather see us walk down the aisle than me performing. After all she has been the one planning this since…" She pursed her lips and glanced up at Riku, "well since the first day I met her."

Riku laughed and nodded his head in agreement. "That's true. She's been calling you "daughter" since day one.

"I can't believe she signed me," Jasmine said in disbelief.

Jasmine's silver-haired fiancé rolled his eyes. "After two successful albums you're still questioning your talent?"

"I just never pictured my life going in this direction," she admitted honestly. The sun began to rise and Jasmine squinted her vivid amber eyes. "I sing professionally, I have great friends and I'm about to be married to one of the most amazing soon-to-be-directors on the planet."

"Why are you so shocked? Good people deserve to have good things happen to them," Riku explained to her. He pulled her tighter to his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. "At least that's what I think is supposed to happen."

A cool island breeze washed over the pair as did the sun's rays, giving light to the new day.

Jasmine realized her flaws and knew that she wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Then Riku's logic crept it's way into her mind once again. She glanced up at Riku, once again shamelessly getting lost in his perfect blues.

'I don't know what I did to deserve someone like him,' Jasmine continued to gaze at Riku lovingly while his focus seemed to be on the ocean, 'but I'm never going to let him go or stop loving Riku.'

Jasmine smiled and closed her eyes, resting against his chest while listening to his steady heartbeat.

'Ever.'

* * *

**Author's Note**: Well I hope that you guys enjoyed this story. I had a lot of fun writing it. Perhaps I'll try doing a few more "fluffy" stories in the future. They're actually a lot easier to manage (except for the pacing, that always throws me off).

I figured that at least ONCE Jasmine and Riku deserved an easy, clean happy ending since I always torture everyone in the other stories haha.

In any case I want to thank EVERYONE for sticking with me and being so active with this story. It means so much more to me than you guys know. I want to thank those who read, fave, follow, alert and all that good stuff. To the reviewers:

**hopefuldreamer1991**: It seems like Vanitas really is my go-to villain nowadays huh? Thank you so much for the concern. I hope I do one day as well. Thanks for the constant support and the lovely review. Take care!

**Sarah K.R**: Thank you. Things are getting a bit better. That relationship was just so so toxic. Honestly, with all the crap he and I went through it could be another story lasting about ten chapters haha. Thank you for all the constant support and thanks for the review. Take care!

**Sayonara Yasashii Akumu**: Ah thank you for pointing that out! It honestly really does. With my situation personally he said a lot of things in the end that really made me question what was real, what was the truth and what was a lie. And me, I drive myself crazy every day still wondering which parts of that relationship was the truth and the fact that I'll never get closure…it's honestly a bit painful. Oh yes lol bonding over the hatred of Vanitas. Haha isn't it perfect? Thank you for the lovely review and all your support!

**Sookdeo**: Yeah haha I couldn't leave it there but I figured that rushing everything in the fifth chapter would not be a good idea. I've never seen The Vow. Is it any good? Anyway thank you for the constant support. Take care!

**animechick247**: Oh yes. Vanitas sure was a character in this one. Sadly there are guys out there who do these sort of things (case and point with my ex). But not all people are bad like that so that's the hope I hold onto personally. Thank you so very much for all the support and please take care!

So yeah guys this is the end *sniff* but I have two more quick announcements:

Do any of you do fanart? I need a couple pieces for some upcoming stories and I was wondering if anyone wanted to help me out with that.

Player's Club is NOT dead but I do have a bit of a confession to make. There are some elements in the story that I personally connect with. Some of which are VERY painful for me to talk about. I thought that by now I would be over it but it still triggers a few things in me. Hopefully by summer I'll have a couple more chapters out but I'm trying not to stress myself out emotionally. I hope you all understand.

Once again thank you guys SO much! Let me know what you think/thought of the story and I'll reply back asap. Plus if anyone ever just wants to chat, feel free to send me a message. I'm always hooked up to some kind of device with the internet and am always up for conversation.

Take care everyone!


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